Phantom of the Leaf
by Hyperguy
Summary: A boy born without chakra finds the attention of a certain outsider. Distraught over his lack of ability, the child walks a different path than his twin sister who's shining personality changes anyone she meets. With a different power at his fingertips he must go about removing the tumors that have grown within his village and the shinobi world without forgetting who he once was.
1. A Cruel World

**XxXxX**

This world was a cruel place. This was the thought that continued to run through my head time and time again as I watched my father and twin sister practice jutsu in the back yard. Watched as they practiced the principle of what it meant to be a shinobi. Something that I could never do…

Our mother, Kushina Uzumaki, died giving birth to us during the Kyuubi crisis several years ago. Minato, our father, barely survived with his life and took us in with open arms, but during the short moments that we were brought into this life he had to make a choice. Who would obtain the nine tailed fox? Not having much time before he passed out, Minato chose Yui. This would later be the correct choice because of the makeup of my body. If he had decided to place the Kyuubi into me then I would have died instantly.

In terms of drawing the short straw, then I definitely drew the shortest one possible because I was born without the appropriate amount of chakra to form jutsu along with a birth defect that ensured that this would never be possible. I was just a normal… civilian. A person that cannot, will not, or ever be a shinobi. I was doomed to forever be another face in the crowd. Powerless to stop or protect others. I would never join the shinobi Academy, or become a Genin like my sister.

"You're doing great Yui! Keep at it and your accuracy will only improve!" Minato shouted in delight as Yui threw her last kunai at the target, hitting very close to bullseye. She had long blonde hair that was tied up into a ponytail. Wearing mostly orange and white clothing, a headband sat atop her head indicating that she had passed her test to becoming a Genin. She smile brightly at the praise, her bright blue eyes glowing in the afternoon sun. I was happy for her and the accomplishment that she made, but even still…

"You better watch out because one day I'm going to take the title of Hokage from you!" Yui exclaimed with a smile. I sighed as I looked back down at the text book on the kitchen table in front of me. Minato never said many encouraging words to me, even though I passed all my exams with flying colors. Looking over at Yui once more, a frown graced my features. My sister was the polar opposite of me. Happy, uplifting, always the center of attention, Yui could talk to anyone and make them believe in her. In a way, it was one of her special abilities. In contrast I was quiet, shy, and stayed away from people as much as possible. I was once asked by Yui why I was this way, but I could only respond with a fake smile that gave an answer she could live with. My fellow students at my school hated me. Hated me for who my father was, how smart I aspired to be, and how much the teachers liked me. It was a perfect mix that made me an easy target for bullies. Especially now since Yui graduated from the Academy, Minato has given me even less attention.

"I'm sure you will Yui." Minato said with a heartwarming smile. Closing the textbook, I placed the book into my backpack and walked to my room. It hurt me to watch them share something so perfect together. Something I could never hope to share with them. Stepping into my simple room that consists of a bed, closet, and desk, I dropped my bag down next to my desk and fell onto the bed. My eyes stared at the ceiling as I thought of what my life has been like up until this point. I was suffering… suffering because of something that was impossible for me to reach. To quiet this depression I threw myself into my studies in an attempt to distract myself from the problem that has built itself up over the last several years. My obsession continued until I learned as much as I could from the library and what the teachers could teach me.

My eyes began to close as my mind wandered. I wish I could be like my sister and her friends…

 **XxXxX**

I awoke to a loud bang on my door. Shifting around in my bad, I leaned onto one of my arms and wiped the crust from my eyes with the other. "Naruto! You're going to be late for class if you keep sleeping!" It was Yui… why did she care if I was late for school? My own graduation was coming up soon, but even still that doesn't mean much in the eyes of a shinobi. Standing up, I realized I still had my school uniform on from the night before. Grabbing my bag, I walked to the door and opened it up to see Yui standing in the hall slightly annoyed.

"What?" I questioned at how annoyed she looked.

"One day you're going to wake up and realize that you're late for class. Then what will you do?" Yui asked as I slid by her and towards the kitchen.

"Don't know. You're going to be some high ranking kunoichi anyway. Why would you care?" I replied, making Yui frown.

"Because you're my brother, that's why!" Yui replied as she followed me into the kitchen. Grabbing an apple and a bottle of water, I took a bite of the fruit and went for the door, but was stopped when someone grabbed onto the sleeve of my black uniform. Looking over my shoulder I could see a somewhat worried expression on my sister's face. "Is everything going okay at school? You don't seem very happy lately."

I stared at her for a moment before nodding my head. "I'm fine. Just worry about not getting hurt on your D ranked missions okay?" I opened the door and took a step out into the spring sun. "Good luck, kunoichi." I closed the door and walked into the busy streets of Konoha. Class started in less than fifteen minutes, which meant I needed to make several… shortcuts if I wanted to make it there on time. Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I placed my water bottle in my bag and ran down the road towards my school. I weaved through the crowd and passed several stores where the people working them waved at me. Running into one restaurant, the man behind the register grinned and nodded his head. Smiling back, I dashed through the small building and the kitchen in the back, where two people were seen making breakfast dishes for the customers in the front. Glancing over at me, the chefs simply nodded their heads and went back to work. Running towards the door at the back of the building, I reappeared in a three way alleyway. One led to a dead end, another to a tall fence with barbwire strung on top, but the final direction had a tall fence as well minus the barbwire. Running to the fence without the wire, I quickly scaled the obstacle and landed onto my feet where I used my momentum to continue forward. Appearing onto the street, in front of me was a gate were several students, wearing the same uniform as myself, could be seen entering at a semi hastened pace. Sighing in relief, I crossed the street and entered the compound just as a student council member closed the gate behind us. Safe.

Unlike other people's uniforms, I had a jacket underneath my own with a hood that I would often place over the top of my head. I hated the feeling of people watching me, judging me behind my back, so this piece of clothing made me feel safe. Well… _safer_ I suppose. This technically went against the schools dress code, but the teaching staff let me do as I please for several reasons. Having good grades, the way the students often treated me, and probably the most important reason, my father was the Hokage. Yes… the son of the Hokage was very popular at this school. 'The useless son of the most powerful shinobi in the village'.

"Hey! Dobe!" I frowned as I walked through the courtyard towards the entrance. "Dobe, I'm talking to you!" I felt a hand clasp onto my shoulder before I was shoved to the dirt below. Slowly lifting my body up a foot slammed into my side, forcing me to the ground once more. "Not so tough without your dear sister around are ya?" Looking up at the offender, the large boy grinned at the dominance he had over me. Two more kids stood behind him with looks that mirrored the large boy's in the center. The offender, the one that was hitting me, his name was Toshi and would often abuse me for whatever reason he could find. He had a sort of pot belly, but his arms were built just like a weight lifter. The two boys next to him were of similar stature, just shorter and not as strong.

"That's enough!" A voice exclaimed from near the gate. The three boys looked towards the source to see a fellow student walking towards us, except around his arm was a blue band. He had brown hair with deep green eyes. He was about my height, and was lean and handsome. "Toshi, go on to class or you'll be late."

"I was just teaching this useless wannabe his place, Akio. No harm in that." Toshi responded with a shrug.

"Toshi…" Akio looked to be getting rather frustrated.

"Alright already. Lets go boys." Toshi said as they walked into the entrance of the three story school. I groaned as I slowly stood up. Their beatings were becoming fiercer by the day.

"Why don't you fight back?" Akio asked as he helped me up. "I've seen what you can do in the Martial Arts club, and you're easily one of the best fighters in the school." I sighed as I brushed off the dirt from my black and gray uniform.

"Because fighting back only makes the problem worse." I replied as I moved to the entrance to exchange shoes for inside the school. "Thanks Akio, but please leave me be. I can handle myself."

"But-."

"Akio." I had stopped and looked at him over my shoulder from beneath my hood. Sometimes he was just too nice for his own good. I knew that Akio, the most popular kid in school, wanted to be friends with me, but I knew that it was just out of pity. He saw me as a puppy being beaten by the large dogs that roamed this school, and while I could easily defend myself, I knew that it would only make my situation worse in the long run. I would suffer until I graduated from this godforsaken school in a few months then it would be over. At least I hoped… "Thanks, but you don't have to worry about me. I'm fine." With that I entered the school, leaving behind a very aggravated Akio.

 **XxXxX**

'Today couldn't be any more boring… At least it's over and I can go home.' I thought as I walked down the halls of my school. People glanced at me and began whispering, making me pull my hood further over my head. Two more months… just two more months of this then I'll be gone. "Well hey there Dobe." I frowned before I could even see Toshi. Looking up I saw a fist slam into my face, making me barrel backwards into one of the empty science rooms. Standing up while grabbing my eye, I turned towards the one that had attacked me in anger.

"I'm getting a sick and tired of your-!" I began to say, fully intent on fighting back this time, but then I saw it. The thing that made me freeze in my tracks.

"What were you about to say, Dobe?" Toshi said with a wicked grin on his face with the light from the hallway window shining into the room from behind him. His two friends, Ken and Michi, stood by his side. In his hand was a kunai, but besides that a piece of paper hung from the blade by a string. Another contraption was built into the kunai to activate the hanging paper if handled correctly, or incorrectly in this case. "Finally about to fight back this time?"

"T-Toshi. Relax. Think about what you're doing." I said as I took a step back.

"Oh I've been thinking a long time about this dobe, and let me tell you this is all I could think about." Toshi took a menacing step towards me, making my eyes widen in fear. "Your father is the hero of the village. The one that saved us from the Kyuubi attack thirteen years ago, and your sister is the hero that cages that beast within her." Taking another step towards me, his eyes grew darker. "But here you are, a parasite that latches itself onto an otherwise perfect family."

"I-I…"

"Why do you even exist? Why were you ever born into this world if you can't contribute anything to it?!" Toshi exclaimed as he continued to mess with the kunai in his hand, making me sweat. A lot of people felt very protective of our Hokage and his prodigy daughter, so this wasn't something that I haven't seen before, but this… This is madness!

"Toshi… please… relax. I know I'm-." I tried to reply in a calm manner, but it was too late.

"I stole this from my stepfather. Took it from his wardrobe while he was at work this morning." Toshi said as he admired the blade in his hands and how he felt so powerful with it.

"…" I could only watch as his gaze finally landed on me. Was he actually going to attack me with it, or just threaten me?

"I don't know about this man… maybe we shouldn't-." Michi went to say.

"Shut up! We're in this together!" Toshi shouted before returning his crazed gaze to me. "Don't worry… I won't kill him. Just make him remember that he's just a leech that doesn't belong here." With that the boy dashed towards me. Adrenalin rushed into my veins as I saw him raise the blade into the air and without thinking I went to counter. Grabbing his wrist, I stopped the oncoming blow and sent a swift punch to his gut. He staggered back somewhat, but as I went to disarm him Ken was to my right. His forearm smashed into my shoulder, making me stagger away as well. My arm that held Toshi was released roughly, but before I could counter Ken I saw Michi charge towards me. I went to parry Michi, but everyone froze when we heard a noise coming from Toshi. Everyone turned and on Toshi's stomach was the paper, its seal burning at a quick pace. Toshi looked stunned, while Michi, Ken, and I all stared at him in complete shock.

"I-." Toshi went to say, but without thinking I dashed towards him and kicked him as hard as I could in the chest. He shot backwards, out the door and into the hallway were he burst through the third story hallway window. We watched as he fell past the crest in the window, and then a massive explosion shook the building. The rest of the windows in the hallway broke as screams could be heard from the hallway beyond.

Ken turned to me, mouth agape as he thought of what had just happened. "D-Did you…?" I knew what he was about to ask. Did I activate the device that triggered the explosive tag?

"E-Everything h-happened so f-fast… I…" I stuttered as we continued watching the window. Students could be heard running away in terror at what had just occurred.

"Toshi!" Michi shouted as he ran to the window. Ken and I soon followed suit and we looked out the side, but there was nothing but a red spray across the ground and side of the building. Toshi was… "No!"

"You!" Ken shouted as he turned and punched me as hard as he could in the face making me stumble backwards into the wall. "You killed him!"

"…" Did I really kill him? I didn't want to… I was just defending myself. _Because fighting back only makes the problem worse._

"I'll kill you!" Ken shouted as he dashed towards me, but he was quickly stopped when five people appeared in the hallway with blades drawn. All five people wore white masks that had a different animal imprinted onto them. ANBU…

"Halt, or we will put an end to your life." The one in the center said. One of the people stood to my side with his sword to my neck. Another stood next to Michi, but he was crying and rolling to and fro in despair. Two of the ANBU were restraining Ken, who was still glaring daggers at me, while the last stood calmly between us all. "I'm going to assume that you three were the cause of the explosion, and the reason the entire west wing of the school is covered in blood?"

"This… MONSTER killed our friend!" Ken shouted, but the blade that was near his neck moved a little closer when he spoke.

"So that's a yes. Take them to the T&I HQ were Ibiki can ask them some questions." The obvious commander said, gaining a nod from the other four members. "I'll get a team out here to clean up this mess."

"Yes sir!" The four ANBU said in unison before disappearing with us in tow. The commander sighed and looked at the blood and gore splattered across the side of the school.

"At least it wasn't an inside op by a foreign village…"

 **XxXxX**

"What's going on here? I got a message that said I needed to come to the Torture and Interrogation Headquarters as quickly as possible from Ibiki himself." Minato said as he entered the building were several high level Chunin could be seen going about their separate tasks. Ibiki then peeked his head through a set of double doors near the back of the room.

"Hokage-sama, please follow me. It's important." Ibiki said, making Minato furrow his brows. Once the powerful shinobi walked through the doors, the scarred man gave him a grim frown that meant he was going to say something he didn't want to hear.

"What's going on Ibiki?"

"It involves your son."

"Naruto?"

"Yes. I assume you haven't received the news yet?" Ibiki asked as he began walking down the hallway with Minato in close pursuit.

"No, I haven't. I've been in a rather… important meeting for the last couple of hours. What happened that involves my son?" Minato asked, getting more and more anxious with each step they took.

"There was a bombing at the school that your son attends." Ibiki said, making the Hokage stop in his tracks.

"A-A bombing?" Minato said, worry covering his face. "Is he-?!"

"Your son his fine, but someone else wasn't as lucky." Ibiki said as he opened the door to a room. In it there were several chairs that were full of people taking notes. In front of them was a window into a room with a table with two chairs, and a single light. In one of the seats was his son, Naruto.

"Naruto! Why is he in the interrogation…" Minato's eyes widened when he realized the ramifications of what was going on. His son's eyes were planted squarely on the metal table in front of him.

"A child named Toshi Ando was killed by way of explosive tag just two hours ago." Ibiki stated as he read off a file that was given to him by one of the Chunin in the room. "Witnesses to his death are three children: Michi Idane, Ken Ogyu, and… Naruto Namikaze." He slapped the file shut before returning his gaze to his commander. "At the moment we are still trying to learn exactly what happened. Michi is currently unconscious because of the shock, while Ken continuously blames your son for Toshi's death."

"My son would never-!" Minato went to say, but Ibiki raised his hand to silence the father.

"We don't have all the details yet as we have yet to properly get Naruto's side of the story."

"And you wanted me here to listen in…" Minato breathed in, and then out as he thought of what was going on.

"Yes… now please have a seat Hokage-sama. I personally don't believe that your son would do this either, but we need to get the entire story."

"… Alright, but make this quick. I can't stand seeing my son in there all alone."

"Yes sir." Ibiki said as he walked towards the door, but as he opened said door he peered over his shoulder towards the leader of the village. "You know that this situation may be taken further… right? Your son isn't a shinobi, which means…" Minato could only look at his son with distress in his eyes. Not getting an answer Ibiki exited the observation room.

 **XxXxX**

My eyes stayed fixated to the table in front of me with a thousand different things running through my head. Could I have really…? The door creaked open, making me glance up to see a scarred man enter the room. He was carrying a tray with two empty glasses and a pitcher of water on it. I knew this man. He has been by our house a couple of times to talk to my father.

"Hello Naruto." Ibiki said as he set the trey onto the table. "I brought you something to-." He then saw my eyes, which looked as if they had seen a ghost. "Right…" It was the first time I've seen someone killed, or seen so much blood from a body across the ground. He poured himself a glass of water and took a sip of the clear liquid. "It's the first time you've seen someone killed, isn't it?" I slowly nodded my head as I stared at the pitcher of water. I may be the son of the Hokage, but that doesn't mean I've seen people killed before. "So… who was Toshi? A friend?"

"… No." I stared at the pitcher as anger shot through my body. "No he wasn't." Ibiki raised a brow at this.

"Then who was he to you?"

"Just a… person that didn't like me very much. Nothing more."

"Hmm…" Ibiki took another sip of water as he continued to stare me down. "The explosion. Do you know what caused it?"

"An explosive tag strapped to a kunai."

"If that's true than how did it go off?"

"A devise was attached to the handle. I'm not sure how it works, but…"

"A trigger mechanism? Haven't heard of those used within the village in a while, but they are normally used when setting traps." Ibiki was finally filling in the blanks of how the explosion occurred. To his surprise, however, Naruto was keeping a rather level head for a kid who just witnessed his first death. The commander sighed and leaned back into his chair. "Can you tell me exactly what happened?"

"…" I stared at the pitcher as I tried to think of what to say. "It all happened so fast. I…" I squinted my eyes shut, trying my best to forget the way the blood was sprayed across the building.

"Take your time. There's no rush." I sighed and nodded my head in appreciation.

"I was walking towards the stairs to go home, but then I was shoved into an empty classroom."

"By who?" Ibiki saw my black eye and determined it was a little more than a simple 'shove'.

"Toshi. When I stood back up I saw a weapon his hand. A kunai with the explosive tag hanging from the ring." I said as I trembled somewhat, but quickly gained control over my body.

"Was Michi and Ken there as well?" I nodded my head.

"Yes, but Michi was unsure about everything." Sighing, I remembered the words that Toshi said to me. "Toshi attacked me, but I defended myself. When Ken attacked me as well I was shoved away from Toshi and…" I closed my eyes and remember the look of terror on Toshi's face when the explosive tag was counting down.

"What happened next?" Ibiki hated seeing Naruto like this. No child should have to see the things he's seen, but he needed a clear picture of what happened and Naruto was the only one with a clear enough mind to do it.

"When we looked over at Toshi the explosive tag had been activated and it was stuck to his stomach. The three of us just stood there in shock. The look of fear on his face…" Tears welled up in my eyes and I remember each millisecond that passed by.

Ibiki frowned as he watched the boy in front of him break down, but there was one thing that still didn't make sense. How did the explosion happen outside if the tag was activated inside? For now he could only watch as the thirteen year old leaked tears from his eyes. "I know this may be hard, but there is one last thing I need to ask you." I nodded my head as a rubbed the tears from my eyes. "How did the explosion happen outside?" Staring at the pitcher of water, I thought back to the look of betrayal Toshi gave me when my foot smashed into his chest.

"I didn't know what to do… I…" I looked down at my hands as they shook. "I kicked him as hard as I could towards the window in the hallway." My hands trembled even more as I saw the look Toshi gave us as he fell from the broken window. "I… killed him…"

"That's enough." Ibiki said.

"I killed him, didn't I? When I was struggling to stop Toshi I activated the explosive tag." My eyes were wide as I finally realized what happened. "It's all my fault…"

"Naruto!" Ibiki shouted, knocking me out of my trance. "You didn't kill him."

"But I-."

"Listen to me. If what you say is true than all you did was defend yourself. The activation of the explosive tag was an accident that happened amidst a struggle to not get hurt. If anything your subconscious protected Ken and Michi." Ibiki explained. I only stared back at the man, clearly unsure of his words. Not exactly sure what to say himself, the scarred man stood and moved to the door. "Come on, lets get you out of here."

Something in my head, however, continued to say something else. I killed Toshi, and nothing was going to change that. Even if it was in self-defense, or an accident, the fact remains that I killed him. It was then that something disappeared. Like a barrier had been opened to something I couldn't explain.

I walked into the hall and was immediately enveloped into a hug. Shocked, I looked up and saw my father. "Da-?"

"Don't you ever make me worry like that again." Minato said as he pressed me even harder against him. Pulling me away somewhat he looked into my eyes to see something that saddened him greatly inside. Looking back at him were the cold eyes of someone who's seen something they were not prepared for. "Come on. Lets go home."

"We'll be in touch." Ibiki said as the Hokage nodded and disappeared in a flash.

 **XxXxX**

We appeared in the kitchen of our home mere seconds later in the same flash as we disappeared in. Minato immediately turned to me with a frown on his face. "Naruto, I-." But before he finish anything I was slowly walking towards my room.

"I'm fine. Just need some time to think." I replied in a near whisper as I opened my door, but before I entered a hand landed onto my shoulder.

"I understand, but if you need anything then let me know." I couldn't look him in the eye because I knew that he _didn't_ understand. Sure, he could understand the feeling of knowing what his first kill was like, but that wasn't the only thing. This was something the most powerful ninja in the village could never understand. The feeling of being so hopeless, no matter what you did, when faced with a world that was so far out of reach it made you feel small when next to someone like Minato.

"…" I walked into my room and closed the door behind me. Slowly looking around the room, I moved towards my bed and fell into its comforting sheets. All I wanted to do, at this very moment, was disappear.

 **XxXxX**

 **A/N:** So this is a little side project that I've been working on recently. In truth it's a way to help myself get out of my writers block for some of my other stories, but it's certainly fun to theory craft stories like these.

Now, as many of the people that read my stories know, I don't like writing stories where the main character is extremely powerful when compared to the other characters in the story, and in this one I get to write on an aspect that many forget about in the Naruto universe. The aspect of stealth, secrets, and most importantly information plays a massive part in how this Naruto is portrayed as 'powerful'. I wanted to write a story where Naruto has to use his limited abilities to overcome obstacles/people that are stronger than he is.

Pairings for this story are currently unknown, but I'm open to no pairings, a single pairing, or two pairings. I can't bring myself to go above two, and even having two would be tough. Normally I write my main characters without a pairing, but with this story I'm open to suggestions.

Beyond that I'd like to say here that there are a few gender swaps. They aren't swapped for pairing purposes, but for symmetry reasons really. I don't know, but you'll have to see in future chapters.

Anyway I hope you all enjoy it! I may continue writing it, but as of right now I'm 9 chapters deep. If you all come back saying it's complete trash then I'll stop… I guess… ;_;


	2. Touch of the Void

**XxXxX**

My head began hurting as a cold wind washed over my body. Groaning, I lifted myself from my bed and looked around my bedroom. Everything seemed in place, but there was this… feeling. I couldn't place it, but there was certainly something amiss. Standing up, I moved towards the door cautiously. Each step made the floor creak beneath me as my hand slowly hovered the doorknob. I grabbed onto the door and went to open it, only for it to be locked. "What the?" Pulling once more for good measure I took a step back in confusion. How was my door locked from the hallway?

Turning around, I fell back onto the ground in shock to see that half of my room had been torn out into the black emptiness of space. A walkway led out into the darkness with the only light coming from somewhere in the vast space that made up the void beyond. Unsure of what to do, I simply stared out into the anomaly before me. "Am I… dreaming?" A pulling sensation suddenly grappled onto my mind, as if calling me into the darkness beyond.

I moved towards the void until I finally took my first step into this endless darkness. With one last look backwards at the half of my room that wasn't torn out into this _thing_ , I found that it too was gone. Without anywhere to return to I walked across the little ground that was available to me. It spiked out into various areas, but a single path could be made out within the rubble and debris. All of which seemed to be made of the buildings in and around our house at the center of the village.

Coming up onto a mannequin sculpture of myself reading a book at our kitchen table, I began to become concerned. "Such a sad hand fate has dealt you." A voice said, making me look up to see a tall man with brown hair and brown jacket. His eyes were completely inked black. "Born into this world with nothing more than your wits, you've studied as hard as you could. All for the praise of your father." The man then disappeared, back into this endless void that I could never hope to understand. Continuing my trek, I came upon another scene of Minato and Yui smiling brightly as they practiced ninjutsu. "But although you try and try you'll never be able to make him smile like your sister." It was then I could see another being that looked like me peering at them with a sad expression on his face from the shadows of a nearby tree. "It feels like you are looking at their world through a window that could not be broken. A place that you can never touch because your world is so cruel." The man then disappeared once more, making me move along the designated path. The next scene was of me being bullied by several people with several books in my hand. Books that only made me sadder than I already was. "Yet you continued to search for a way to slip into their world. To become a ninja and join your family in their happiness, but nothing came. In all your endless research, you learned that it was simply not possible." He walked around the people that bullied me relentlessly, and it wasn't just Toshi, Ken, and Michi. "And through it all you endured the pain of being the 'useless' son. The 'parasite' that was feeding off Konoha's perfect family. All so you would avoid giving your family a bad name." Knowing the routine, I moved along the path once the man had disappeared. Finally coming upon a scene that made tears come to my eyes, the sculptures depicted me kicking Toshi out the window with Ken and Michi at my side in shock. "Finally you decide to defend yourself. To show the bullies that you had a backbone all along, but it all goes wrong."

"…" My eyes looked into the pitch black eyes of the person talking in complete sadness. "Why are you showing me this?"

"A very good question from a very smart boy. If you would follow me." The man disappeared once more, making me move along the path of broken buildings and torn up trees. Finally arriving at the destination, ten darkened figures appeared before me. All of which had cloaks over their bodies. On the other side of the landing three more dark figures stood ominously. "You see, there's a darkness growing in the corners of your world, and death is sure to follow if nothing is done about it." The man said as he walked behind the ten dark figures before moving towards the three separate figures. "Even in your own village several tumors grow beyond the reaches of your father. Truly an interesting world you live in."

Looking between the figures before me, I turned to the man in confusion. "Even if this is true how does it concern me?"

"Because your sister is at the heart of it all." I sighed as my eyes moved to the figures once again. Even by just looking at the mannequins I could tell each of them were powerful. Maybe even more powerful than my father.

"Even if that's true I can't do anything about it. I can't form jutsu. I'm not a ninja like my father and my sister. I'm just a… nobody."

"Then let me give you something. A gift if you will. From me…" A burning sensation erupted from the back of my hand, making me look down to see a mark appear across it. "To you."

"What is it?" I asked. The power that radiated from the mark was massive, but what it was and how to use it remained a mystery.

"Allow me to help you young one. Some information that will make mastering my gift easier." He then tapped the mark on my hand, but when he did memories that weren't my own swarmed into my mind. Eager to store itself were it needed to be. "I only gave you enough power that I feel you can handle at the moment. In time I may give you more, but at present you are still too young to handle the more… advanced techniques." He looked down at me with a grin as the information was stored and processed faster than he thought it would. "You may stay here for a time to practice your new found abilities, but you will have to return to your world soon."

My voice eluded me as I thought over everything that was happening. "Why…?" I questioned as I finally gained a grip on reality.

"Why help, you ask?" He leaned against one of the dark figures as he thought about the question. "I don't very much care about what happens to your world, but by giving you something 'out of this world' I think it should make things more… _interesting_." A grin a spread across his lips as the thought of what this change will do in the future. "If that is all I will take my leave. Enjoy your stay here, and good luck in the future. I'm curious to see what you will do with my powers. Whether they be good, or evil."

With that the man disappeared, leaving me with the dark figurines, the memories that were shoved into my head, and the three powers of Blink, Dark Vision, and Windblast. Along with these powers came other, less flashy, abilities that may or may not prove useful in the future.

 **XxXxX**

Shooting up in my bed, a cold sweat covered my body from head to toe. 'W-Was all that real?' Quickly looking down at the back of my left hand, the symbol remained etched onto where the mysterious man had placed it. "So it actually happened." Sighing, I stood up and looked out the window. The street lights poured into my second floor room, giving me a source of light that wasn't the overhead light. 'What time is it?' Looking at the clock by my bed, the red numbers said that it was thirty minutes until midnight. With nothing to do, and certainly not being tired, I stood up and grabbed a fresh pair of clothes before moving to the washroom across the hall. The hallway was silent, which meant that everyone had long since gone to sleep. Once I was in the wet room, I let the warm water pour over me in an attempt to help calm my rampaging mind. I was in that void for what felt like days, but when I woke up it had only been six hours. Did time work differently within that place?

Once done, I put on the clothes that I had prepared. Gray pants, shoes, and a black shirt; I finally put on the jacket that I normally wore underneath my uniform and walked to the door leading to the streets. "Naruto?" I quickly placed my left hand into my pants pocket and looked at the source of the voice.

"Hey." It was Minato.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing fine. Just need some fresh air."

"Do you need to talk?"

"No… just need to walk around a little." I grabbed the doorknob, but stopped when something came to mind. "Does Yui…?"

"I haven't told her. Figured it would be something you'd want to tell her yourself." Opening the door, I felt Minato not move from his spot. "Don't stay out too late…" Not responding, I closed the door and walked out into the summer night of Konoha. People walked about, minding their own business as they went about their night. I saw a weapons shop as I mindlessly wandered the streets of my home, and decided to enter it. 'I need something to cover up my hand. Maybe they'll have something?' The bell above the door rang as I entered the store that was completely empty, save for the clerk. He had thick brown hair and eyes with tanning skin. He was shorter, but that didn't take away from his built upper body. Bored out of his mind, the man was reading a magazine while leaning against the counter.

"We close in fifteen minutes so make it quick. I'm ready to go to bed." The man said without even looking at me. They must close at midnight or something. Not wanting to disobey the man, I went towards the clothing section and began looking through their selection of clothes.

"Did you just speak to a customer like that, Aki?" A voice asked from the back room. "You know you shouldn't speak to customers like that!" The man grumbled as he finally looked up and saw my hooded appearance while looking through his selection of fingerless gloves, seemingly ignoring their interaction entirely.

"It's fine! He seems like the type that likes to be left alone anyways!" Aki responded as he went back to his magazine.

"You don't know that dad!" The girl responded before walking out from the back room, wiping the sweat from her brow as she appeared. She wore a pink tunic with a heavy brown leather apron that went to her knees. Two brown buns sat atop her head with a Konoha headband wrapping itself around her forehead. Over her hands were thick leather gloves that had obvious wear and tear on them. Was she a blacksmith and a kunoichi? "Just because he's quiet doesn't mean he won't enjoy being shown our stuff." She looked at her father with an annoyed look, who simply shrugged his shoulders and went back to reading. Sighing, the girl took off the apron and gloves before making her way over to me. "Hello! My name is Tenten. Do you need help with anything?"

I looked at her for a moment, before looking at the clothes in front of me. "I… uh… need some gloves."

"Anything in particular you need? We have special gloves that when chakra is applied they can-."

"No… just normal gloves is fine." I replied as I placed the pair I was holding back onto the shelf.

"Oh, well normally you wouldn't come to a ninja shop for something like that, but I can grab you a pair if you'd like." Tenten said, curiosity in her voice as she looked into my eyes.

"That would be great." She nodded her head and went to the back room as I made my way to the counter at the front of the store. Aki looked at me before returning his gaze to the magazine. A few minutes later Tenten returned with a pair of black fingerless gloves. Nothing special. Just… gloves.

"Can you ring him up dad? I'm putting the final touches on a weapon before going to bed. I've got to get up bright and early for a mission." Tenten asked.

"Yeah, go ahead." Aki responded, making his daughter smile as she turned to me.

"Thanks for stopping by our shop! I hope to meet you again mister blue eyes!" Tenten said before disappearing back into the depths of their shop. Aki looked at the gloves before looking at me.

"You look familiar…" Aki said as he stared me down. I saw the price of the gloves and put the money on the table before grabbing the gloves. "Have we met?"

"No sir." I responded as I quickly placed the gloves over my hands, which made me feel safer for some reason.

"Well whatever. Come back if you need anything else. I'll give you a discount since my daughter seems to like you." Aki said as he took the money and placed in the drawer. His eyes returned to the magazine as I walked out of the store and back into the dark streets.

I decided to move towards the eastern part of town, where the crowds grew thin and buildings began to lower themselves from the sky. Why my father wanted to live in the center of the village was beyond me, but both he and Yui liked it there so who was I to say anything? The eastern part of the village was well known for being the home of many of Konoha's most prominent clans. The Hyuga, Inuzuka, and Nara clans to name a few. This place was cleaner and had far less people walking around its streets. Walls lined the edges of the roads, keeping people's peering eyes from seeing the clans private business. While this place was dull and lifeless, a certain charm could be seen from the various buildings and people that walked here.

I passed the Hyuga compound and looked at its large gate. 'I wonder if that girl I helped is doing okay?' Shaking my head, I continued on my way deeper into the clan district until finally I came upon a place that seemed deserted. The Uchiha compound. Not knowing what else to do, I entered through its gate and into the place where the Uchiha Massacre happened. Everyone has heard of what happened within these walls. That Itachi Uchiha killed everyone here, save for his sister Saya, for reasons that remained unknown. Saya said that her brother wanted to prove something, to test the limits of his power, and decided the best way of doing that was to kill their entire clan. This seemed… farfetched at best. There was another reason behind the massacre, I was sure of it, but I did not have the means to investigate these thoughts myself. The Uchiha symbol remained on the various buildings and signs around the compound. This place seemed frozen in time. Nothing's changed since that day because nobody wishes to dishonor the clan that helped forge the village they live in today.

'This place is perfect.' I thought as I looked around the dark compound. Nobody lives here since the massacre, and Saya has since moved out to avoid any unwanted memories from resurfacing. Because of this it would give me the perfect training ground to practice my new abilities in an urban setting. Nodding my head, I pulled energy into the mark and blinked onto a nearby roof. These abilities did not draw upon chakra like jutsu did. Instead, my abilities used a mixture of stamina and endurance, which was something I already had from my near constant training in martial arts. Just because I wasn't a ninja, I still felt the need to train so I could protect myself from thugs… or bullies that go too far.

Breathing in, then out, I opened my eyes to reveal glowing purple eyes with my pupils becoming slits much like a demon. Things, such as kunai and weapons, appeared to me through walls as well as possible items that could be of use. Food, water, weapons, all of these things revealed themselves in a quick fashion. If I remember correctly then it should also allow me to see people through walls and in complete darkness as well. 'Just like the information that man gave me portrayed, but how does this help me in combat?' In truth it probably doesn't, but that remains to be seen as I have yet to get into a fight with any of these abilities. Stretching my body I pulled more energy into the seal and then, in a swift motion like I was brushing someone off, a strong current of wind burst out in front of me. I could see each individual strand of wind as it cut through the air. Each strand searching for something to reflect, block, or cut before it pattered out. 'These winds act as though they are alive and wish to defend me. What are these powers?' Shaking my head, I got back to the situation at hand. I needed to train with these abilities even more before I set out to learn who these 'tumors' are, because if I had to guess then they were probably very powerful shinobi. Or, at the very least, a person that had a lot of influence over the village.

'But now is not the best time. I need to return home before Minato begins to worry.' Blinking down to the street below, I made my way home after turning off my visual power. Inside I was happy. Happy that I could use powers similar to my sister. This mark increased my natural vitality, agility, and reflexes. I'm not exactly sure how, but the images shown to me by that blacked eyed man depicted it so. In any case I have the power to fight toe to toe with a shinobi if I used this mark correctly. I just needed practice, and that required time. Something I was unsure that I had at the moment.

 **XxXxX**

"Breakfast is ready!" A voice called out from down the stairs. I rolled over and looked at the clock. It was eight in the morning, and I was extremely tired for some reason. Was my body still adjusting to the mark on my hand? Groaning as I lifted the sheets from my body, I slowly got dressed while making sure my gloves were on my hands, and moved down the hallway towards the stairs.

"These D ranked missions are so boring!" I could hear Yui say from the kitchen.

"I know they are, but they're required by all new Genin's to complete after becoming a ninja." Minato responded as I entered the room. "Hello Naruto! How are you doing this morning?"

"Fine. What are you doing here? Normally you're at the office by now." I asked as I sat down at the end of the table, each of us taking a side of the table with Yui to my right and Minato directly across from me.

"It's a slow day today so I decided to sleep in a little bit." Minato responded as he put some rice into a bowl and slid it over to me. "How about you, Yui? Long day?"

"Of course!" My sister responded as she shoved food into her mouth. Minato slid me a slice of fish as she did so. "Two more D rank missions! I swear they will be the end of me!" Then she stopped, as if remembering something she had heard. "Oh yeah, your school took the next couple of days off, right Naruto? You lucky dog you, I wonder what that's about?" I frowned slightly at her words before glancing at our father, who also shared a discouraged look.

"Who knows…" I responded as I took a bite of the food as well. Sooner or later the rumor will spread, and she will learn of what happened, but I'm assuming exactly who was involved will remain a mystery until Minato decides it will be released to the public. Or if the parents of the killed child begins spreading these rumors…

"Oh no! I need to meet the rest of Team Seven in ten minutes! I'll see you two later!" With that Yui dashed out the front door, making Minato and I stare at the open door in confusion.

"She's never short on energy, is she?" I asked, making Minato sigh with a smile.

"Yui is like you mother in that regard. Hot headed and always full of energy."

"So what's the real reason you're not at your office?"

"And you're more like me in this regard. Always seeing underneath the underneath."

"…" I furrowed a brow at this, making Minato laugh as he took Yui's empty plate to the sink.

"Anyway, I decided to go in late because of what happened yesterday, but you seem to be fine." Minato began washing the dishes as he talked. "I'm surprised. It didn't take long for you recover from a fairly traumatizing experience."

"I guess not." It's actually been a couple of days for me, but it didn't matter. I had killed Toshi, whether by accident or on purpose the result remained the same in my eyes. A little part of me died when the explosion rocked the building and his insides were sprayed across the walls of my school.

We stayed silent for a while, the only noise coming from the faucet water hitting the dirty plates. I could tell that he was having a hard time trying to find the right words to say, but he was always better at talking to Yui than he was with me. Once the dishes were complete, he turned the water off and turned to me. "What are your plans for the day?"

"Well… I was wondering… can I go with you to the Hokage Tower?" Minato looked at me in surprise.

"If you want, but it's kind of a boring today. Just a few meetings then paperwork." Minato replied.

"That's fine. Just want to be with someone at the moment." I lied.

"It's certainly been a while since you've came with me to my office, but sure!" Minato said with a bright smile on his face. In truth, I wanted to investigate these 'tumors' that I was forewarned about, and if it's actually true or not. The politics of the Hidden Leaf Village are very open compared to other hidden villages. Councils and other offices are often allowed when concerning the wellness of the village as a whole. Things like sewage, electricity, and agriculture all had separate offices that are ran by people appointed by the Hokage. This allows the village to be ran like a well-oiled machine, but this also displaces power away from the leader, in this case the Hokage, to people that could be corrupted. In a sense, I was surprised that nothing has gone wrong since the opening of political power with the appointment of the third Hokage years ago. Even now pressure on my father to give away military power to a joint council of clan heads and other political chair holders has only increased since he took office.

Once we finished cleaning the dishes, we left the house and began walking down the street towards the Hokage Tower. Not much was said between the two of us. He couldn't ask how my missions were going, or question how far along I was to mastering some jutsu or another. He couldn't relate to who I was or what I was going through, and I couldn't relate to his position either. We were just too far apart, him and I. I doubt he ever wanted a son that couldn't use chakra. If it was just Yui I wonder how happy he would have been… at least I know I have a little secret that makes me more powerful than many believe.

"And here we are, my home away from home." Minato said as we entered his office. It was just like I remembered it from years ago. A desk, chair, couch in the corner, two more chairs in front of the desk, several bookcases, and windows that wrapped around the curvature of the walls giving us a fantastic view of the village. "The view never gets old." He breathed in and out slowly before sitting down at the desk, where a massive stack of papers sat ominously. "But this certainly does…"

"You said you had a meeting today?" I asked as I watched the leader of the village begrudgingly go through the stack of paperwork.

"Yes. The Konoha Council are going to be coming by in an hour so we can discuss some of the finer points of the Chunin Exams that are to be held in the coming months." Minato explained as he watched me walk up to some pictures on the side of the wall. The village founder, and each of the following Hokage could be seen depicted on the pictures. On the other side of the wall the newly founded Konoha Council could be seen with pictures as well.

'Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, Danzo Shimura, and Sarutobi Hiruzen. All wise people that have much influence over the direction of the village. Whether that be directly… or indirectly.' I thought as I stared at the pictures of the elderly people known as the 'Konoha Council'.

"Do you remember them? Sarutobi took a liking to your sister." Minato said as he stood next to me, looking at the pictures as well. "Danzo seemed to enjoy your company as well. You two would talk for hours about how the village was ran, and the inner workings of the market district." Danzo did indeed like talking to me about how this village worked when I was younger. He knew that I would never be able to use chakra, but still felt the need to tell me how the shinobi of the village lived and operated. Why did Danzo want to get close to me? It's been a while since I've talked to the older man for reasons that eluded me, but I feel that my father may have played a part in that.

"Not very much. It's been years since I've talked to Danzo." I responded as I eyed my father. He seemed somewhat relieved at my words, even if he tried to hide it.

"Not surprising. Danzo is a very busy man." Minato said, but then a knock at the door made us move away from the pictures and towards our positions. Minato taking a seat behind his desk while I sat on the couch in the corner. "Enter!" The doors opened to reveal the Konoha Council. "Early, are we?"

"Not by much. It's good to be early rather than late." Koharu responded as they entered the room.

"Nearly an hour early, actually." Danzo said, clearly annoyed at how early they were. Danzo always liked being right on time. Never early, never late.

"All the same. Better to finish early rather than later." Minato said with a wave of his hand.

"And who do we have here?" Sarutobi said as he looked over to me with a great smile. "Well if it isn't Naruto! How are we doing today?"

"Fine." I responded with a slight smile of my own. It was getting harder and harder to make these nowadays… Danzo looked to me and smiled. Something about him felt… off?

"The Chunin Exams are fast approaching and they are to be held here this year." Koharu said as he took a seat in one of the chairs. Two more chairs were brought into the room by people outside before they closed the door behind them.

"Indeed they are, and we must put the finishing touches on each of the challenges that the Genin must go through." Minato replied as he opened a file that had information on the specifics of the exam.

"Before we continue…" Homura said as he gave me a sideways glance. "Should we discuss the exact details of the Chunin Exam with your son in the room?"

"Why would you say that?" Minato asked.

"He could very well go and tell others what to expect when entering the exams."

"I feel that won't be an issue." Danzo said as he leaned back into his chair. "Naruto knows that this is an A-Class secret and won't reveal this information to some random passerby."

"Even if it was his sister?" Homura countered.

"Don't worry." I said, making everyone turn to me. "Whatever you say within this room will remain a secret. I promise."

"You see? Nothing to worry about." Sarutobi said, reassuring the sceptic elder of my presence.

"If you say so…" Homura replied as Minato looked down at the folder before him.

"Right, with that out of the way I would like to go over the testing portion of the exam." Minato began as the meeting was underway.

 **XxXxX**

"I like who you appointed to each portion of the test. Should make for a very intense exam." Sarutobi said as he thought over the entirety of the exam.

"Although Anko can be sort of a loose cannon. Are you sure it is wise to leave the second portion of the exam to her?" Homura questioned.

"I'm sure everything will be fine. Anko is a Jonin, and a fine one at that." Sarutobi reassured.

"Right, is there anything else?" Minato asked.

"I believe that we ironed out all the finer points of the exam, and it's nearly time for lunch!" Sarutobi said with a wide smile. Before they could leave, however, a knock at the door resonated through the room.

"You may enter. We were just finishing the meeting anyway." Minato said as everyone began standing up. The door slowly opened to reveal Ibiki. "Ah, Ibiki. Nice to see you."

"Likewise." Ibiki said with a bow as the Konoha Council exited the room and closing the door behind them.

"What brings you here? We were just about to go to lunch." Minato said, but his cheery composure slowly whittled away when Ibiki remained unreadable. "Is something the matter?"

"I would like a word…" Ibiki then looked to me before returning his eyes to his leader. "In private."

Getting the memo, I stood from my position on the couch and moved towards the door. "I'll see you later." Minato said as I closed the door behind me. With me gone, Minato looked to Ibiki. "What is it you wanted to speak about?"

"It involves your son, and what happened yesterday…" Ibiki replied.

 **XxXxX**

I sighed as I walked down the street towards my home. I was hoping to find some information on this 'tumor' that I was eluded to, but there was nothing to be found. All doors leading to the records of the village remained barred off from someone like me. Even though I was the son of the Hokage, the working staff within the tower was steadfast in not allowing me access. "Are you Naruto Namikaze?" A voice asked, making me stop in my tracks. Looking over my shoulder, three people stood in the center of the street. One was a tall woman with black hair and a white mask over her face, while the other two had black hair with masks as well.

My hood was currently down, making it easy to find me if they were looking for me. Why were the ANBU doing looking for me anyways? "Did you even have to ask?" I responded, my eyes staying firmly on the black haired woman that spoke.

She scoffed as she placed her hands on her hips. "I'll take that as a yes then." People were beginning to stop and look at the scene that was being made. It wasn't everyday ANBU made themselves visible to the general public, but they looked and sounded different from the ANBU that I met the other day. "You are to come with us."

"On what grounds?" I questioned.

"By order of the CCC, we have been tasked to bring you in for questioning." The woman said as the group took several steps towards me. The CCC, or the Collective Civilian's Council, are a recent addition to the village that was created to survey non-shinobi cases and take judicial action when necessary. My father was persuaded to create them to alleviate some pressure from his shoulders so he could concentrate on more important matters. If the CCC was here then that means… Two hands were placed firmly onto my shoulders, shaking me from my stupor. "You have the right to remain silent, _son of the Hokage_." With that we disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving behind a very confused crowd.

 **XxXxX**

"What do you mean the CCC is investigating my son?!" Minato shouted as he stood from his desk.

"I'm sorry Hokage-sama, but since this is-." Ibiki went to say.

"No it's not! This is my son! How could they be investigating him?! Nobody should know about what happened yesterday besides us, and…"

"The parents of Toshi. They went to the CCC and claimed that their child was murdered by Naruto." Ibiki said, as Minato fumed at what was going on. "Since this is a case between two non-shinobi they have since taken custody over the case, which also means-."

"Danzo has some major influence over what happens to my son." Minato sighed as he sat down into his chair. "I had no idea that creating the CCC would backfire like this." The original idea of the CCC was pitched by non-other than Danzo, who thought that there was too much pressure riding on the Hokage's shoulders. He preached that by creating an organization that could watch over the non-shinobi and properly govern them that Minato would be free to work on more pressing issues both domestic and foreign. Danzo even said he would help them throughout the process, and with his guiding hand create a council similar to the Konoha Council. At the time Minato was still a young kage and thought this was a fantastic idea, but now that the CCC was firmly in place…

"…" Ibiki remained silent as he watched the Hokage think over his options. Minato held very little power within the CCC because Danzo has made sure that the only way Minato could gain entrance within its walls was through him and him alone.

"What are their plans?" Minato asked.

"I'm not sure, but they are probably going to bring him in for a more private screening session."

"Since I'm the father can I possibly refute their statements?"

"Not without going public. The CCC are going to keep this behind closed doors for the time being. They are keenly aware with who they're dealing with and don't want the public going ballistic any more than you do." Ibiki said, as he turned towards the door. "Remember, while the CCC may be a separate entity they are still people living here within Konoha and you are their beloved leader. Don't forget that." Ibiki then left the room, leaving Minato to his thoughts. His son was in danger from something he helped create. Raising his hand and making a signal, a female ANBU with purple hair appeared kneeling before him.

"Bring me every shred of information we have on the contracts I signed with the CCC over the past five years." Minato said as he crossed his fingers together. "And send a message to Danzo that I want to see him as soon as possible." The ANBU nodded her head before disappearing in a swirl of leaves, leaving a very worried father in her wake.

 **XxXxX**

"What am I doing here?" I asked as I sat in a room very similar to the one I was in one day prior. Two ANBU with pure white masks stood in the room silently observing me, as if waiting for someone to arrive. In truth, I knew exactly why I was here. Toshi's parents must have went to the CCC to hopefully prosecute me for the death of their son. It was mixture of anger from their son's death, and hate for me is what drove them to do this. A hate that I knew was there. Where else could Toshi's deep rooted hatred for me spawn from?

The door to the room slowly opened to reveal a bandaged old man. "Hello Naruto." Danzo said as he entered the room, the two ANBU kneeling down before him. This action made me furrow my brows, but decided to disregard it for now.

"Hello Danzo-sama." I replied as I watched him take a seat in the metal chair across from me. He flicked his hand, making the ANBU in the room leave as quickly as possible.

"You must be very confused as to why you're here."

"No, not really." I replied, making him look at me in confusion. "What I am confused about is why you are here to greet me. Didn't you announce five months ago that you were going to decrease your activities within the CCC by order of the Hokage?"

"That I did." Danzo responded as he leaned back in his chair. 'This boy is much smarter than his sister. He must take after his father in that regard.'

"Then why are you here?"

"It's because of you." This made me sigh as I slunk into my chair. "Starting to finally grasp the situation?"

"So Toshi's parents came to the CCC to seek revenge for their son because they knew that my father wouldn't do such a thing."

"Correct you are." Danzo replied. "And since neither of you are shinobi they can get away with bringing the CCC into the mix."

"Is my father going to let that happen?"

"It's already too late. The case has been brought to them, and under their oath the CCC can't turn away."

"… Are _you_ going to let this happen?" Danzo's eyes narrowed somewhat at my words.

"What are you suggesting?"

"Your sway within the CCC is strong, if you being here is any indication. So you should have the power to quell any thoughts of me purposely killing Toshi."

"I could have a word with each of the representatives, but their choices are still their own." Danzo said as he rubbed in chin in thought, but then he looked to me, greed in his eyes. "But what will I get in return?"

"What do I have? I'm just a normal kid that goes to school…" I lied as I rubbed my arm.

"Yes, this may be true, but you're not just a _normal_ thirteen year old. You're the son of the Hokage, which means a lot in this village."

"Not to everyone…"

"True. Some people see you as a parasite. Someone who is only draining attention away from your sister." Danzo said as he continued to look at my ever saddened face. "But you are so much more than that. There are plenty of powerful people in this world that don't have the ability to weave chakra, and you happen to be one of them."

"What are you saying?" I asked as my eyes moved to the older man.

"If you become my student then I can teach you how to become powerful without the usage of chakra."

"And how is that possible? Chakra is everything in this world."

Danzo laughed at my words. "Well the answer is actually quite easy. You see, if you become my student, I will teach how to properly use the two most important resources any human can obtain." He then turned very serious as he looked at me, his power becoming very evident to me now. "Money, and fear."

"…" I remained silent as I stared back at him. I knew that my father didn't like this man, and now I knew why. He was dangerous, and was clearly powerful in his own way. "… I'll do it."

Danzo smiled at this. Finally… his trump card was within his grasp. "I'll have a talk with the CCC. I'm sure they'll listen to me after I have a few… choice words with them."

Was this a good idea? I hope so… because if not then I'm not sure of what will happen to this village.

 **XxXxX**

Minato was furiously going through everything he has signed when it comes to the CCC. Trying his best to find any loophole that he could exploit so he could gain some leverage, but Danzo was very concise when he wrote each and every document. "Damn it! There's nothing here!" The Hokage threw several documents to the ground next to his chair. Just before the man was about to destroy the desk a knock at the door froze him in his tracks. Looking around at his desk, Minato shoved the papers into various drawers before collecting himself in his seat. "You may enter." To his endless surprise, Danzo entered the office just like he had asked.

"Hokage-sama, you have called for me?" Danzo said with a deep bow.

"Yes, I have." Minato responded, doing everything in his power to remain calm. "I assume you know why I called you here?"

"Is this about your son?" Danzo asked, to which Minato nodded his head. "As you know the CCC is their own-."

"Danzo…" Minato said, dangerous vibes radiating from his person. The older man sighed before shaking his head.

"Once I heard about your son's situation I talked to all five of the CCC representatives. Your son…" Danzo said as he moved out of the way to reveal me standing in the doorway, making Minato's eyes widen. "Is free to go. Toshi's parents have been compensated and everything is settled."

"That went… well?"

"The CCC isn't this massive corrupt business like you have been led to believe. They're Konoha citizens just like you and I." Danzo said as I entered the office. "Now that this little hiccup is out of the way I'm a very busy man and have much to do." Danzo said with a bow. "Have a good day Hokage-sama, Naruto."

I now stood in the office alone with my father, who just stared at the now closed door in confusion. "Was Danzo… happy?" It was the first time he has ever sensed anything close to happiness from the elder man. Once the astonishment wore off, Minato looked to his son who was staring back at him in confusion. "I heard they took you in. Did they do anything else?"

"No. Danzo was the only person I saw, and when he arrived he said that everything was taken care of." I lied as I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't really know what happened, but looks like everything's okay."

"I guess so…" Minato said, still in a confused state.

"With all that out of the way I guess I'm going to finally get some lunch. Bye dad." I said as I left the office, leaving a puzzled Hokage in my wake. Once out of the office, however, my demeanor darkened as I walked down the steps of the tower. I was to meet Danzo in an hour at a warehouse in the northwestern part of the village. My training would begin effective immediately, but I would keep my other powers a secret from everyone. It was my biggest trump card that I had if everything were to go wrong.

Finding my way out of the tower, the bright sun blinded me for a moment, but this subsided just as a group of four people approached the entrance. "Naruto?" Fixing my gaze on the approaching group, I found that it was my sister and her team. Team 7 if I recall their number correctly. "It is you!" Yui quickly approached and smiled brightly, but my face remained unmoving. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be at home since you have the day off from school."

"Just asking Minato a few questions is all." I responded in an even tone, making her smile falter somewhat.

"Well anyway this is perfect! I wanted to introduce you to my team!" Yui said.

"So this is your brother?" A pinked haired girl asked as she approached me.

"You must be Sakura." I said, making her blush somewhat.

"How did you know my name? You wouldn't be a stalker, would you?"

"My brother is not a stalker!" Yui defended.

"Yui has gone into great detail about all of you. Sakura has pink hair, Saya has black hair and is a real jerk." I said as I pointed towards the Uchiha, who scoffed and looked away. The Uchiha girl had shoulder length black hair with a blue shirt and white shorts. "And Kakashi wears something over one of his eyes and is always late to meetings."

"Shhhh! You can't tell them those things!" Yui said in embarrassment.

"Whatever. Have a good time with your D-Ranked missions." I said as I moved by her and towards the crowd of people walking by the Hokage Tower.

"Naruto! Do want to…" Yui began to say, but he disappeared into the sea of people. "Have lunch with us?"

"Is your brother okay? He seems… sad." Sakura asked as they looked at where the twin blonde once was.

"I don't know. It feels like he's been growing further and further away each time I talk to him." Yui said, a frown gracing her features. Kakashi stared at the spot as well, but decided to keep to his own thoughts instead of talking.

"Well come on young ones. We have one more mission to complete before we're finished for the day." Kakashi said as he shepherded the three Genin into the tower.

 **XxXxX**

"Good to see that you know your way around the village. Finding this place was half the challenge." Danzo said as he stood at the entrance of a massive warehouse.

"Why did we come all the way out here? There's nothing here besides a stray warehouse worker." I said as I looked around. We were indeed in the heart of the warehouse district, which meant that nearly nobody out here.

"You'll see. Follow me." Danzo said as he entered the warehouse with me following closely behind. The darkness overtook us as we walked deeper into the building. "When we spoke before, I said that there are two resources you need to become truly powerful. Can you tell me what those two things are?"

"Money and fear." I responded, the only light coming in from the door behind us.

"Correct. Now there are several ways to obtain these resources, but there is one primary solution to obtaining both at the same time." Danzo said as he stopped near the center of the building, the door closing behind us from an unknown source. "Would you like to know how?"

"Tell me." I responded, the darkness completely overtaking us. A single light appeared near us with a person strapped to a chair. A bag covered the man's head and a metal bucket sat beneath him.

"The subsequent death of people with power." Danzo said as we looked at the man in the chair. "You see, there is an underbelly in this village. A darkness that people like your father and the others on the Konoha Council refuse to acknowledge exist. Because of this there are plenty of people, like this one for example, that need to be done away with." The older man then turned to me, kunai in hand. "The people that do this aren't shinobi, or ANBU, but normal people being paid for their gruesome work. Yes, this world remains untouched by the shinobi of this village because it is beneath them. Their focus is on threats outside of the walls, not these _people_ that stain it from the inside." Handing the kunai to me, he then pointed to the person strapped to the chair. "Kill him, and become my silent assassin."

"… How will this help me gain power?"

"Every assassin has a beginning. They are silent, deadly, and blend in with every normal person around them. In time your name will be on the tongue of every contractor in the elemental nations. The price for your services will increase as you refine your craft, and when finally the shinobi of this village take notice you will just be a shadow in the darkness." Danzo explained. I was to become an assassin and kill the corrupt individuals that plague this village? Looking over at the man in the chair, I pondered what would become of this action. Danzo believed that I, a person who couldn't harness chakra, could become a powerful assassin, or maybe a bounty hunter was a better term. I've heard of these types of people before. People without chakra that hunted and killed others for money, but I always found their stories drowned out by the exploits of their shinobi counterparts. "With me covering your tracks and helping you along the way, your name will quickly rise within the underbelly of this village and possibly other villages as well. Are you ready to take your first step?"

I looked down at the blade in my hand, then up at the man in the chair. Slowly moving towards the man, I stopping directly in front of him before staring at his bag covered head for a moment. Danzo, sensing my hesitation, moved to my side and kneeled down so he was eye level with me.

"I know it is hard to take the life of another. You are not alone in this endeavor, but take comfort in that it will only hurt in the beginning." Danzo said as he placed a hand onto my shoulder when he noticed my trembling hands. "Soon the death of the undeserving will give you peace of mind. These people spawn destruction in our village from the inside and must be cleansed." My hands have since stopped trembling as I listened to his words.

Looking to the man tied down to the chair, I watched as his chest rose and fell as if he was knocked out. The killing of another… it was something that I thought I'd never have to do because of my status as a normal civilian, but since gaining my powers I knew that I would probably have to kill someone eventually. I thought that I would be ready to kill someone since Toshi's death, but butterflies were still swarming my stomach. If this man was everything that Danzo described as the plague that tainted this village, however, then… "Have a nice long rest." I said before slamming the blade down onto the man with a grinning Danzo standing behind me.

 **XxXxX**

 **A/N:** So here is chapter two! Naruto has three abilities as of now and will gain more in the future. The gender swap is, of course, Sasuke into Saya, and this is _not_ for pairing reasons. The reason I changed Sasuke's gender was because I wanted the descendants of Indra and Asura to be the same gender. Saya's personality remains largely the same as her male counterpart, but is simply female instead. Why is this you may ask? Well, I'm not entirely sure, but for some reason I felt like they needed to be so I did it. This shift won't change much in the terms of Team 7's adventures, but I felt like it needed to be addressed. Would you like Saya to end up with someone? Let me know, but please be reminded I didn't change the Uchiha's gender just for that.

Anyway thanks for reading. I hope you all enjoy it and I'll see you next time!


	3. The First Step

**XxXxX-Two weeks later**

I stared down at my gloved hands as I thought about what to do next. For the last fourteen days I have been training with Danzo and his ANBU Root force in basic combat and assassination skills. They've drilled into my head everything that I would need to know when it comes to defending myself if my cover was ever blown during a mission. However, if I was discovered by an opposing shinobi they said that my likelihood of survival was slim to none. The Root ANBU have become used to my appearance near Danzo, and even began showing signs of acceptance within their group. Gripping my hands closed, I looked up at the door once I heard movement in the room across the hall. Paranoia was a sense that would keep me alive, T1 once said as she sent a kick that smashed into my back making me stumble forward to the ground.

T1, or trainer one, was the person that trained me in combat and self-awareness. While the latter aspect didn't need much training, my combat skills was fairly subpar when it came to their standards. Sure I knew how to fight against someone fairly, this stemmed from my days of tireless training in martial arts, but I needed to learn so much more than that to stay alive. In her eyes she said that if I would ever need to utilize anything she has taught me than my mission was already a failure. I wasn't fighting people in hand to hand combat to kill them. I would be utilizing various means to kill my target silently and as discreet as possible. This is where T2 picked up this aspect of my training.

T2, or trainer two obviously, was training me in the aspect of situational awareness and how to use poisons to my advantage. As I went through a mission, there would be various ways to kill a target that could be utilized by the environment around them. Either by killing the target with the environment itself, or by using it to gain access to an area otherwise unrecognizable, T2 has been running me through trials to help me identify these new routes that would otherwise remain unseen. The poison aspect of his training was easy enough. Simply study the books provided and pass his test… or I would have to take a small dosage if I didn't.

I never failed.

Danzo was personally teaching me about the various known guilds for assassins and bounty hunters within the shinobi world. Every village, every town, every fishing hamlet had a market for the service that I now provided. The trick was locating it and determining if the price was appropriate for the transaction. Even here in Konoha there was a secondary market for the death of others that Danzo did not personally control, but dabbled in from time to time when the use of his Root ANBU would be too blatant. He suggested that when not doing missions for him to seek out the local guild for extra money if I felt inclined to do so.

Every lesson, however, would end with me killing someone by order of Danzo himself. Every day someone would be brought in to die at my hands, and every day I found it becoming easier and easier to do it. At first they were just like the first, strapped to a chair and knocked out, but now I was cornering them and watching their eyes as I ended their life. Some portion of the numbing that came after every kill remained each time until I felt nearly nothing at all when killing. The begging and pleading that came to my ears simply drowned out until their voices were simply unrecognizable.

My training was costing me a piece of myself, and I knew that with each death, each time I returned to that warehouse, that I was turning into something that would make my family puke. I knew this, but it needed to be done. Not for my sake, but the missions. These tumors needed to be dealt with and if turning into a monster was the answer then so be it.

Once my daily training with Danzo was complete I would sneak off to the deserted Uchiha district to train my powers. Speed and precision was what I trained in, and how much could be used until it fully drained me. I needed to increase my endurance if I wanted to fight other shinobi because without the powers my mark provided I would be useless in a fight that dragged on for too long. To this end the mark provided much needed strength and agility. Not to the point that made me a shinobi, but my physical strength was extremely high. My body continued to adjust to the mark, and if this kept up then I'm sure I would surpass many Chunin level shinobi when it came to reflexes. I knew that I wouldn't keep up with them in raw strength, so by applying much of this power to reflexes and agility I'm hoping that I can outsmart them rather than overpower them in any one single department.

A knock at the door quickly made me jump to my feet in preparation for what was to come. "Naruto? Are you awake?" I calmed myself as I shook my head. It was only Yui.

"Barely." I responded through the door. It was nearly nine in the morning and I had to meet Danzo for today's training in an hour.

"I know this may sound weird, but I've noticed that you haven't been going to school lately." Was she spying on me? No… she doesn't know what's going on, but evidently she's noticed my change in attitude. I've severely distanced myself from Minato and Yui, and my drastic change in personality, or lack thereof, has apparently been noticed by my sister. Minato has, for the time being, been unaware of this. Simply happy that my run in with the CCC had been quietly adverted. School has also been… averted as well. I was going to graduate from my school no matter what simply based on my grades leading up to that point. I could fail all my finals and still pass with an average grade, but knowing my teachers they'll pass me because of who my father was. Not that it mattered at this point… Avoiding school was probably for the best… "Is everything okay? You can always talk to me if there's something on your mind." I opened the door and looked into her eyes, making her flinch at the action. The cold eyes of someone who has heard enough stared back at her.

"I'm fine Yui." I responded as I stared her down.

"Are you sure? Because I can-."

"Yui." My sister couldn't look me in the eye as she looked around at everything that wasn't me. "Go on your mission and enjoy the life of a shinobi."

"Is this about not being able to use chakra? Naruto you know that I've never held that against yo-." She wasn't able to finish her sentence as I moved past her, roughly shoving her aside as I moved down the hallway. "Hey asshole! I was trying to be nice!"

"Don't be. I never asked for your pity, and I never will." I said as I flipped the hood over my head, but a firm hand was placed onto my shoulder.

"No! We are going to talk about what the hell has gotten over you! Right here, right now!" Yui shouted, refusing to let go of my shoulder. "Ever since you randomly got the day off from school you've changed! You don't eat with us! You don't talk to us! Hell, you barely recognize our existence!"

"Let go of me." I said, clear annoyance in my voice, but my twin seemed to not have heard me.

"And now you are skipping school?! What the hell has come over you?!" Yui shouted, now extremely angry with me.

"I said let go!" I shouted, finally breaking my emotionless visage. Shoving her hand away from my shoulder before my fist smashed into her face, making Yui stumble backwards into the wall. Her eyes reflected that of shock at what had just occurred. Her brother… had just hit her. "You stay out of my life. Do you understand me you spoiled brat?"

"I…" She stared back into my furious eyes in complete shock. Never has she seen her brother so angry before. Had she pushed him too far?

Without another word I left the house. My training was going to start soon and I refused to be late.

 **XxXxX**

"There you are. I was wondering when you'd arrive." Danzo said as I approached the warehouse. This was the first time Danzo has met me outside of the building since the first day he brought me here.

"…?" I furrowed a brow in question at his abnormal behavior and Danzo noticed my unsaid question.

"Wondering why I have met you out here?" I nodded my head. "My two Root members have held you in high praise as of late. They seem to think that you're ready to begin your first mission."

"If you believe it to be so." I replied with a bow.

"Very good. Here is the information containing your target. You have until midnight to complete and turn in the mission or it will be considered a failure. Understood?" Danzo asked, the overcast skies becoming darker with each passing moment.

"Understood." I replied, still in a bowed state.

"If that is all I bid you farewell, but if you would heed a word of advice." Danzo said as two Root appeared next to him. One being the black haired woman that brought me into the CCC at the very beginning. "I would recommend a change of clothing. The school uniform that you normally wear may attract unwanted attention." After this Danzo disappeared along with the Root ANBU. Leaving behind only a scroll where he once stood. Leaning down and grabbing the scroll, I tucked it away into my jacket pocket and moved away from the scene. So a change of clothes was part of his orders. I could use a new jacket or something of the sort…

As I moved through the streets, I would come across several shinobi laughing and talking about their various missions. Groups of Genin with their Jonin sensei went to and fro completing their D-Ranked missions. 'Now where was it…' I thought as I walked down the street in the heart of the village. 'Ah, there it is.' In front of me was the place where I bought the gloves from a few weeks ago. Opening the door, the same man, Aki if I remember correctly, could be seen flipping through the pages of a different magazine. He gave me a glance before returning his gaze to the magazine.

"Welcome to our armory. If you need anything let me know." Aki said, but he clearly didn't want to be bothered. Disregarding his statement, I moved to the clothing section once more. His daughter must be out on a mission or something because she probably would have been out here scolding her father for being so passive. As I moved down the line of clothing, nothing seemed to catch my eye. These clothes would be the material that I wear as I killed another for profit. It would a part of me just as much as my name was as it passed down through the underbelly of the village. "Having trouble finding something?" Looking to the counter at the other end of the store, Aki was looking at me with curious eyes. It was the first time he has expressed interest in anything other than the magazine in front of him.

"…?" I simply stared back as he closed the magazine and hopped down from his seat behind the counter.

"Follow me. I may have something that will perk your interest." Aki said as he moved towards the back room. Deciding to follow the man, I pushed the flaps back that covered one of the doors behind the counter. Shelves upon shelves of old clothing appeared before me, but a small pathway weaved itself around the stacks of clothes. Moving towards the back of the room, Aki was seen opening up a dark wooden chest that sat against the wall. Once open, he pulled out a black jacket with silver linings that went down to my knees. It had a hood that would easily cover my eyes from sight, which could be useful in the correct situation. "It was made by my grandfather when I was your age." Aki said as he looked it over with a slight amount of pride. "The jacket is made from a material that resists fire to a certain point." He then threw it to me, who caught it and looked it over. "You take it. Won't do it much good just collecting dust in this old box."

"How much-?"

"It also has this muffler if you want it too." Aki said as he threw a black muffler/scarf over his shoulder, making me awkwardly catch it. "There are several seals within it that should act as filters against any airborne pathogens or poisons. No chakra needs to be applied to the scarf."

"But how much-?"

"If that is all you can leave. You'd be doing me a favor if you took these off my hands. Only bad memories linger with those old scraps." Aki said as he moved by me towards the front, leaving me puzzled in the back room. Was that his way of being nice? Placing the jacket over my body I found that the jacket felt… cozy. Almost as if it was accepting me as its owner. After doing so I stuck my mission scroll into my pocket and the muffler in the other before making my way towards the front of the store. Aki looked over at me once I emerged into the store front, but looked back down at his magazine once he saw what he was looking for. "Whatever you do, don't tell my daughter about this. Don't feel like getting an earful about it later."

I nodded my hooded head before leaving the store with my new clothes wrapped around my body. While I appreciated the kind gesture, I can't help but think that Aki gave me these clothes for a separate reason. Shaking my head, I looked down the busy street to see a small tea house at the corner of two crossing roads. A steady rain had begun to fall since I entered the shop. 'Good a place as any.' I thought as I weaved through the crowd and into the business. Booths lined the walls while wooden tables sat in the center of the room. Nearly every table was full except for one of the booths, which I quickly made my way over and took for myself.

"What would you like mister?" A female waiter asked, clearly in a hurry to drop off the tea on the tray in her hand to another table.

"The house green please." I responded, making her rush away to deliver the drinks to another table. With that out of the way I removed the scroll from my jacket pocket and looked over the gray outer parchment. 'So this is my mission… whoever is listed inside this scroll will be dead by midnight.'

"Here you go honey. If you need anything else just let me know." The waiter said as she dropped off the large cup of tea and disappeared once more. Disregarding her for the time being, I opened the scroll and began reading who would be my first official kill as a servant of Danzo. I quickly ran through the contents of the scroll. A man by the name of Kirito Sato, owner and master of a local dojo, he is currently located at the southern part of the village. With only small details about his past still within, I rolled the scroll up and placed it within my jacket. I drank the rest of the tea and left some money on the table before leaving the tea shop with one person on my mind.

Kirito Sato.

 **XxXxX**

"Yuiiiii." Sakura said as she waved her hand in front of her teammate's eyes. The blonde blinked before looking to the pink haired girl. "Wake up. We're about to start our second mission." The four were currently walking down the street away from the Hokage tower towards their next mission, which was to find a certain black cat.

"Sorry Sakura." Yui shook her head in an attempt to remove the disturbing thoughts from her head.

"What's gotten into you? You've been kind of down all day today." Sakura asked. Saya and Kakashi were also quietly listening in to the conversation as well because they too have noticed their normally bubbly teammate's depressed state.

Yui remained quiet for a moment as she thought of what to say. "Sakura, do you ever think what life would be like without being able to use chakra?" Sakura and Saya looked at one another in confusion, but Kakashi frowned beneath his mask.

"Not really. Why do you ask?"

"It's just my brother, Naruto. He's been very… distant."

"Did something happen?" Sakura asked, concern in her voice. Yui sighed as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Naruto and I had a fight this morning. I tried asking him why he was avoiding Minato and I so much, but he…" Yui frowned at the memory of what had happened. "He hit me and left. I've never seen him so angry before."

"Naruto punched you?!" Sakura shouted, clearly angry by Yui's words. "Where is he now?! I'm going to-!"

"Did he say why he did it?" Kakashi asked, cutting off his fuming student.

"I brought up how he couldn't use chakra, and how nobody holds it against him." Yui's frowned deepened somewhat by her own words. "I don't know… I just feel so bad for him."

"Yui, he punched you when you were trying to be nice. You have nothing to feel sorry about." Sakura said as she smiled at her teammate.

"Thanks Sakura." Yui said as she smiled somewhat, but Kakashi remained silent. Saya had decided to ignore her teammate's family drama, for good reason as well. No need to join in on her rival's personal problems.

 **XxXxX**

"Why are you here?" I asked to a shady figure in an alleyway on the southern part of town. It was growing darker by the second and I wanted to complete my mission early for my own reasons. Down the street was a dojo with a sign hanging from its outer gate. It looked like a miniature clan compound except there's only a single building within. The street was fairly busy since the dojo sat on the main street leading from the front gate to the Hokage Tower, but after some recon I mapped an escape route out the back of the building and into the maze of alleyways and small streets beyond. A heavy rain fell from the heavens, giving me the perfect cover to infiltrate the dojo.

"I came to collect once the mission is completed." The shady figure responded in that even and empty tone that I know so well.

"Did Danzo send you to watch over me?" I questioned, aggravated that he may not trust me to go through with killing a random person.

"Our master did not send me to watch over you. Only to collect the head of Kirito Sato." It was T1. One of the people that trained me for the past two weeks.

" _Your_ master. Just because he's helping me doesn't mean that I'm one of his servants." I replied as T1 slightly came into view. She had a black ponytail running down to her midsection and a white mask. She was also one of the people that initially brought me in to the CCC for questioning.

"And just because he holds you in high regards doesn't mean you can disown his orders." T1 said in a threatening manner. "Yes, you may not be completely under his control, but for now you must take orders like the rest of us." I furrowed a brow at her words. Out of all the Root members I've talked to, T1 was one of the few that actually expressed a small amount of personality. What this meant, I had no idea, but for now I had a mission to complete.

"Noted." I said as I turned and left the alleyway. Disappearing into the crowd of people, I pulled the hood tighter around my head as I moved towards the dojo.

 **XxXxX**

"All right children, everyone did a fantastic job! Keep improving at this pace and you'll surpass me someday!" Kirito said with a massive smile. He had black hair and eyes with a lean physic. His age must have been late twenties, early thirties. The seven glowing children smiled at his kind words.

"Like that will ever happen!" One of the girls replied as he walked to the door with the kids.

"Of course it will. Just remember what I taught you and one day it will come to pass." Kirito said as he shuffled the girl's hair. The seven children bid him farewell as they walked towards the small gate at the other end of his even smaller front lawn. Closing the gate behind them, Kirito immediately frowned and took on a hardened visage. "I know you're there. Come out, assassin." Inside the dojo a shadow dropped from the ceiling and to the clean wooden floor below. "You are not like the others that have been sent to kill me. Who are you?"

"Kirito Sato. Local sword master of a personal dojo in the village of the Hidden Leaves. Works hard for the betterment of his students and community." The cloaked man said as he walked towards the wall of the room, where weapons of all sorts hung from pegs. "A nice collection of weapons. Surely you're more than just a swordsman."

"Thank you, but you seem a little young for killing." Kirito said as he moved towards the opposite end of the room while trying his best to see underneath the hood. A black scarf was covering his face, leaving a dark slit between the hood and the scarf.

"Maybe…" The boy replied as he ran his hand over one of the weapons. "How did you come upon these magnificent weapons? Some of these are very rare." Kirito's eyes narrowed at his words.

"So you know…"

"Weapons trafficker, mercenary, murderer; you've got quite the reputation Kirito _Hayashi_. A lot of people from outside the village want to see you dead."

"I'm not looking for redemption. I did what I did because I wanted to protect my loved ones, and I'd do it again if I had to." Kirito said, staring the cloaked boy down as he kept circling the room opposite of him, who continued to appreciate the weaponry on display around the room. "And don't try to preach to me what is right and what's wrong. You're here to kill me for profit, nothing more."

"Very true. The money on your head is large, but my motives are much different than your average bounty hunters." The man stopped at a particular weapon as Kirito grabbed a black sword from the wall.

"I certainly hope so. For a child to want to kill another…" He almost didn't want to fight. Killing a child? It hurt his soul to even think about it, but he knew that this world was cruel.

"What is this weapon?" The boy picked up the weapon and expertly began analyzing it. The hilt was the same length as the blade and much thicker than a normal sword. The blade was curved, but bladed on each side. The length of the blade was the same length as his forearm, making the total length of the weapon about the size of his arm. In fact every weapon in this dojo had a name behind it. What those names were, however, eluded him.

"A sword." The cloaked boy looked at him like he had grown a second head.

"I suppose I asked for that." He replied as he gave the weapon a once over before moving opposite of Kirito.

"That's not yours."

"And it's not yours either." Kirito seemed to get angry at his words as he readied himself for the attack that was sure to come. "Before you die, can I ask you a question?" Furrowing his brows, Kirito looked confused as he began walking towards him with confidence. "You knew I was coming, didn't you?" A small amount of shock appeared in his eyes, confirming his question. "I see, thank you."

"I never answered-." Kirito never got the chance to finish as the cloaked boy dashed towards him at a surprisingly fast speed. The swordsman began blocking and dodging each attack that came his way, but never found an opportunity to break the onslaught. Finally finding an opportunity, Kirito shoved the assassin back with his shoulder. "You're very skilled with the blade, but your stance is flawed. You weren't trained very well, weren't you?"

"Not like this. I was trained in a different way." The boy replied as he relaxed himself, but Kirito remained guarded.

"And what way is that?" The boy laughed and shook his head.

"Come at me and you'll see." Gripping onto his sword tightly Kirito dashed towards his foe, but he remained unmoving. Simply watched as he closed in on him ready to strike him down. As his sword was about to make contact, however, a breeze could be felt pressing against him. Discounting it as just a random happenstance, Kirito brought his sword down onto his would be killer. Never moving a muscle, the black garbed boy simply watched his supposed death fall down upon him.

'Is he accepting his death?' Kirito thought, but before he could think of anything else an audible _clink_ came to his ears. His eyes widened as Kirito's sword was deflected from nothing but… air? Taking a step backwards, Kirito once again began his assault, but only for each and every one of his attacks to be blocked by wind blades appearing out of nowhere. As Kirito went in for another attack, a shimmering in the air forced him to backpedal. A shallow slice across his chest made blood drip onto his white robes.

"I see you're beginning to understand." The boy said as Kirito pressed his hand to his chest to help clot the bleeding. The wound wasn't serious, but even still…

"You're able to form the air around you into blades to which you can block and attack people at will. A truly remarkable ability, but one that would categorize you as a shinobi."

"After seeing that without the knowledge I hold, I would also come to the same conclusion."

"Are you saying that you aren't a shinobi?"

"That I am."

"Then how are you using jutsu?"

"Because I made a deal with the devil." Kirito looked confused and shocked by the statement, so the boy felt obligated to continue. "I made a deal so I could become powerful. To be able to kill others for my own selfish reasons." The boy looked down at the blade in his hand, almost saddened at how his life has evolved up until this point. "Sometimes we have to make hard choices. Choices that leave scars that don't always heal correctly."

"I'm sorry that someone so young has to make such decisions."

"It is what it is. Now come. Show me the extent of your swordsmanship." Kirito obliged, dashing towards the black garbed boy with sword at his side. Bringing his sword up, he blocked the first air blade before quickly moving towards his target, but the boy seemed to see what he was attempting to do and began backing up.

"Will you continue to run? Your wind blades, while impressive, lack strength!" Kirito said in annoyance as he blocked three more attacks.

"If more strength is what you wish…" It was then that the boy began moving his arms. Physically directing the blades down onto the swordsman. Kirito immediately felt the difference as the wind blades that made contact with his sword pressed _much_ harder than before.

Jumping backwards as to recuperate himself, sweat trickled from his forehead to the spotless floor below. 'So if he physically directs the blades they become stronger. If he does then-.' Kirito thought, but it would seem his assassin wouldn't give him time to think as he dashed towards him after punching the air in front of him. A single torrent of air shot towards him with a hundred miniature blades swirling within the torrent of wind. Forced to jump to the side, Kirito's blade met his opponents as a struggle for dominance ensued. "You just made a mistake getting this close to me."

"Did I?" The boy responded, making the older swordsman look around quickly. A shimmer to his right made him kick the assassin away and jump backwards, but then an immense pain erupted in his shoulder. Looking over he saw that his arm was… gone? "You perceived that I can only make one blade at a time. A fatal flaw in your plan unfortunately."

"I'll kill you! I won't die like this! I _can't_ die like this! Not by some little street rat with some wind jutsu!" Kirito shouted as he grasped onto the hole left by his arm.

"You want to see the full extent of my power? Let me demonstrate." Before Kirito could react a searing pain coursed through his chest. Kirito coughed and looked down to see the blade that was once in the hand of his assassin piercing through his chest. The swordsman looked back up to see that the black garbed boy had disappeared from where he once was. His vision began to blur before finally falling over, blood pooling onto the otherwise spotless wooden floor. Standing behind him was the dark figure from before. "…" With the blade in hand, the boy motioned with his hand to create a blade of air and swiftly chopped off his head. Dropping the sword to the ground next to Kirito, he pulled out a brown bag and quickly placed the head into said bag before disappearing from the building.

 **XxXxX**

"You warned him that I was coming." I said in irritation as I shoved the brown bag into T1's arms.

"I did." She responded as she placed the head into a preservation scroll and into her pouch.

"Why? I had a plan to kill him without ever having to actually fight him!" I responded. We were in the dark alley from before, but this time near complete darkness shrouded us. The rain had begun to slow down to the point that only a slight mist lingered in the air. It wouldn't be long until the rain completely left.

"Because Danzo-sama doesn't like weak subordinates. So I warned him to see if you were ready to serve Lord Danzo."

"…"

"It was a test to see if you were capable of fighting against some of the strongest people that aren't shinobi, and you passed."

"And if I failed?"

"Then you'd die." T1 placed a wallet into my hands before holding up a single sign. "I don't know how you killed him, but I was instructed to tell you 'Good job' if you weren't killed." With that she disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Looking into the wallet, I noticed the large amount of money and quickly stashed it away within the confines of my jacket before leaving the alley. Some form of law enforcement will descend upon the dojo sooner or later, and I would rather not be here when they do.

Once I was far enough away my body finally began to relax, and once it did an audible rumble began to shake my stomach. 'Even after killing someone I can still easily eat. Looks like I'm getting used to this.' I thought as I began looking down the busy street for a nice place to get some food. This money wasn't going to spend itself. Finding a nice barbeque restaurant, I pushed the flaps back and pulled my scarf down so people could see my mouth. A woman stood behind a pedestal sorting through some papers.

"How can I help you?"

"Table for one please. Preferably by a window if at all possible."

"Sure thing! Follow me please." We moved through the crowded restaurant at a brisk pace, all the while I took note of the layout of the building. The restaurant had three rows of hallways with booths lining both sides. Each booth could hold up to eight people except for a few near the back of the building which were able to seat two or four. A grill was built into the center of the tables so you could cook your own food at your leisure. "Will this work?"

"Thank you." I replied as I sat down into the two person booth. A small window next to me allowed the cool evening breeze to flow into the booth and press against my face. The sounds of people walking and conversing outside on the bustling street was almost cathartic to my otherwise dull mind. Emotions were hard for me to push forth, but for some reason I felt almost at complete ease at this very moment.

"Choji! You know we have to pay for all this!" A voice exclaimed from the booth across the small hall, breaking my brief moment of tranquility.

"What? Isn't this all you can eat night?" Looking over, I saw a group of four shinobi, three Genin and one Jonin, seated around one of the larger tables. Empty plates were stacked as high as their heads. I knew who they were from the description of my sister. Team Ten, or the Ino-Shika-Cho Trio, are one of the teams that came into fruition when they all graduated the same year. I've met and talked to Shikamaru several times before, and he seemed like a nice person, albeit lazy to a fault.

"No you knuckle head! They never did that!" Ino shouted in annoyance. The Jonin looked slightly annoyed as well, while Shikamaru looked bored.

"It's not my fault their food is so good! Especially their spicy pork!" Choji replied in delight as he took another bite of the food being grilled before them.

"What will you have?" My attention was pulled away from the spectacle and to the waiter.

"Water and…" I thought over what I wanted as I took my scarf off and placed it next to me. "I'll take the spicy pork."

"One order of spicy pork coming right up." The waiter responded before leaving to place the order.

"So you like the spicy pork as well?!" My concealed eyes returned to the loud group across the hall from me. Choji was brimming with delight when he heard my order. "You must have amazing taste!"

"Thanks…" I responded in a dull tone, but it was nicer than normal. Although I doubt they could tell the difference, but I was trying to be slightly friendlier to them because they are my sister's friends. Even though we weren't on the best of terms at the moment making more enemies was not a wise idea.

"Leave him alone Choji. He doesn't seem like the type of guy that likes to talk." Ino said.

"That's nonsense! Anyone who likes spicy pork has to be a nice guy!" Choji said, still just as bright as before. Shikamaru continued watching me with curious eyes.

"Even still, you shouldn't bother someone that's clearly tired." Asuma said as he roughly messed up Choji's hair. "Now we have to figure out where you're going to get the money to pay your part of the bill."

"But I thought it was-!" Choji went to say, but was pulled down the hallway by Asuma.

"Doesn't matter. Lest go talk to the clerk, shall we?" Asuma said as he dragged a crying Choji down the hallway.

"Why me of all people…" Ino muttered to herself as she followed the duo down the hallway. Furrowing a brow, I watched them move to the front of the restaurant and engage in conversation with the clerk.

Silence soon followed, well… the silence of a normal busy restaurant. During this time the waiter stopped by and placed the raw meat and vegetables in front of me along with the glass of water. After lighting the grill, the waiter left to another booth that called her over for one issue or another. I placed a few pieces of meat and vegetables onto the grill, the satisfying sizzle from the meat only making me hungrier.

"Do you always linger behind when the rest of your team leaves?" I voiced as I continued cooking the food.

"Sometimes. I like to enjoy the peace and quiet every once in a while." Shikamaru responded as he ate one of the pieces of meat left over after Choji's destruction. "Lets me clear my head and think a little."

"…" I didn't respond. Instead opting to continue cooking my food in silence and listening to the sound of the street.

"Your voice… I've heard it somewhere before, haven't I?" Shikamaru asked, peering over to me for any sort of reaction, but I never moved. "But when I think this I can't believe it. So cold and distant, you couldn't possibly be the person I'm thinking you are."

"Shikamaru! Lets go, we're about to leave!" Ino shouted from down the hall. The boy sighed and stood from the booth before walking away, but before he was out of earshot he stopped.

"Sorry to bother you. You just reminded me of an old friend is all." With that he left the restaurant with the rest of his team. Leaving me in deep thought.

'So even people that knew me can't recognize my voice…' Lifting a piece of meat from the grill, I plopped it into my mouth. Savoring its taste, I swallowed the delicious morsel to quell the rumbling in my stomach. 'I suppose it's better this way.'

 **XxXxX**

 **AN:** Sorry this chapter took so long to come out. Been fairly busy as of late so I was never able to upload until now.

So the fight Naruto had with his sister at the beginning of this chapter is something that, while I could never see myself doing, needed to happen. Does he hate his sister? No. He doesn't. It's more complicated than you realize and you'll see why later on in the story.

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and keep reading it! See you next time!


	4. Honestum

**XxXxX**

A man with several scars running across his face gently sighed from his squatted state before shaking his head. Around him were a plethora of chunin, all of which were taking notes of anything and everything that may be of use.

"So it was a hit then?" A blonde man stated, standing tall as he too stared down at the grievous scene laid out before them.

"That much is obvious, Inoichi. The head has been sliced clean off and taken elsewhere. Meaning it had to have been a bounty hunter." The scared man stated as he stood from his squatted position.

"Just saying it out loud was all Ibiki." Inoichi looked across the dojo with observant eyes. Picking up everything that was out of the ordinary. "A struggle must have taken place." Inoichi knelt down and ran his fingers over one of the deep slice marks that had chiseled itself into the otherwise spotless wooden floor. "They must have really been slamming their swords against each other with reckless abandon to leave such deep marks."

"Maybe…" Ibiki replied as he observed the headless body before him. Kirito Sato was an outstanding citizen and went far beyond the call to help his community. Yes, there was a bounty on his head for his past deeds, but Konoha was willing to give him amnesty so long as he put his past behind him.

"Looks like his past finally caught up to him." Inoichi stated as a chunin came up to him and whispered something in his ear. "Nobody outside witnessed anyone coming in or out of the dojo since his final lesson several hours ago." Ibiki wasn't fazed by this however as he was too fixated on the grizzly scene before him. "Ibiki?"

"The person who killed Kirito was either a professional or a shinobi."

"Oh? How can you tell?"

"See how the body is laying on its stomach? Either a shinobi was able to quickly get behind him and stab him with the sword, or the body was turned over as to misguide anyone who came to investigate." Ibiki closed his eyes and sighed at this train of thought. "But it's clear that he was stabbed in the back meaning the former is more likely."

"If it was a shinobi then why was there such a fierce sword battle across the dojo? Wouldn't a shinobi just end it the moment that they could?" Inoichi asked, confused by this predicament.

"The assassin may have been toying with him, but if he wasn't a shinobi then that means Kirito may have been bested in a dual and finished off from behind." Ibiki rubbed his temples in a vague hope to subdue the headache that was brought on by this murder. "In any case we can't learn of what really happened here until more evidence presents itself."

"So the killer will get their reward and disappear into the shadows?" Inoichi asked with an irritated voice.

"I don't like it any more than you do, but what can we do? For now we will book it as a successful bounty hit by a private individual until we have more evidence on who could have done this." Ibiki stated with that even tone he always carried.

"I guess you're right." Inoichi said, knowing that this was probably just another murder that happens from time to time within the village.

"Come on. We have to file this at the T&I Headquarters." Ibiki said as he walked towards the exit with Inoichi following close behind.

 **XxXxX-Two days later**

"What will you have me do Danzo-sama?" I asked before kneeling before the man that has trained me into the ground. It has only been two days since I killed Kirito and already Danzo has summoned me once again. We were currently standing within the darkened warehouse that had so much blood stained across its steel walls and concrete floors.

"Your previous mission was a success, but do not let it go to your head." Danzo said as he walked around me, inspecting my new wears. "Your clothes suit you. Hard to make out your identity and keeps you concealed at night."

"Your approval greatly honors me Danzo-sama." I replied, keeping my head down.

"Your next mission will begin now." Danzo said moving straight into business. "A member of the CCC has been leaking confidential information to a third party." A scroll was placed down in front of me by a Root agent before disappearing back into the shadows that surrounded us. "Complete the mission according to the specifications adhered in the scroll then return to me with the results."

"As you wish." I stated, gaining a nod from the elder man.

"Good. Now go. I expect good things from my favorite assassin." Danzo stated with a small smile. I nodded my head before slinking back into the shadows along with my Root brothers and sisters. After my presence had fully disappeared a Root agent appeared next to her master. T1 to be exact. "His skills as an assassin are growing at a faster pace than I had originally anticipated."

"A true diamond in the rough, Danzo-sama." T1 responded from her kneeling position.

"Indeed he is, but he is so much more valuable as not just an assassin." Danzo said as a sly grin spread across his features. "Your secrets cannot stay hidden forever little one…"

 **XxXxX**

I rolled up the scroll and placed it within my jacket before looking up at the four story hospital. Kohona North Regional Hospital, the largest medical facility for non-shinobi in the village. Placed at the heart of Konoha's Political District, only the elite with power go to this hospital. The man I'm looking for is one Haruto Tanaka, or more importantly his medical records. There are five members in the CCC, minus Danzo of course, and my master seems to believe he's leaking information to someone else. Not one to disappoint, Danzo tasked me with killing him in a way that looks like an accident and after further scouting I've learned that the gluttonous CCC member has a very expensive palate. The man often visits a very high end restaurant known as the _Aki Bara_ that serves a wide variety of different dishes.

A perfect setting for my mission to be carried out.

First, however, more information needs to be obtained before I can move forward with my plan. The setting sun signaled to me that his normal reservation at the Aki Bara was soon approaching, meaning I needed to move fast.

Moving into the entrance I quickly surveyed my surroundings. Two people were sitting in a few of the chairs waiting to be called on while a homeless woman argued with the clerk about not being allowed treatment. Patiently waiting behind the disgruntled woman until she finally stormed out of the building, the clerk then looked to me with an even expression.

"How can I help you?"

"I was wondering if I could visit a friend." I asked with a smile.

"Sorry, but visiting hours are from eight to six. Come back tomorrow morning if you want to visit."

"But it's urgent."

"I don't care. Rules are rules. Not get out of here." She must not have known who I was, but all the better in my eyes.

"Okay, thank you." Time for Plan B then. "Is there a restroom I can use before leaving?"

"Around the corner to your left." The clerk had already went back to writing something down in her notebook. Without another word I moved to the male's restroom and looked around until spotting the janitors closet. Checking to see if it was locked, which it was, I produced a lock pick and went to work. Every now and again I would check over my shoulder with my Dark Vision to see if anyone was approaching. A satisfying click resonated in my ears, meaning the door was now open. Swiftly entering and closing the door behind me, I locked the door and looked around the small room until my eyes landed on an air vent.

'Based on the schematics of the building this should lead me to the hallway close to where I need to go.' Opening the vent was simple and after removing the filter I Blinked up and into the metal shaft. Slowly I crawled through the maze of vents. Blinking up until I finally reached the third floor where my target was. Undoing the vent panel, I silently slipped into the hallway after checking if nobody was around. There should be very minimal activity on this floor based on what was housed here. With my Dark Vision active I crept through the building, dodging a few doctors moving to a fro until I reached the edge of the hallway. My Dark Vision spotted two guards standing in front of a door, clearly bored out of their minds. 'Not shinobi, but they're in my way…' The schematics to the building revealed that this door was the only way into the room. Looking about I found a storage closet not too far away with a possible distraction. The door wasn't locked, giving me full access to the contents inside. Pushing a beaker off the edge of the shelf, making a very loud crashing noise, I moved into an empty office across from the storage room.

"What was that?" I could hear one of the guards ask.

"Lets go check it out." The other responded as I watched them with my Dark Vision move away from the door and towards the storage closet. "It sounded like it came from in here." Silently I moved behind them before moving down the hallway.

"But this is just a storage closet." He stated as he opened the door to see a broken beaker on the ground.

"Rats maybe?" Beyond that I didn't hear, or care to hear for that matter. My simple distraction worked and I was at the door. Quickly lock picking the door, I entered and locked said door behind me. Not needing to turn on the lights I looked around at the stacks of file cabinets.

My feet carried me through the rows of files until finally I came across what I was looking for. 'Haruto Tanaka. There you are.' Opening the drawer, I quickly flipped through the folder until I landed on what I needed. After memorizing the contents insidem, I placed them back where I found them and closed the drawer.

"I swear this place is haunted." One of the guards said from outside the room, making me turn to see them standing outside the door once again.

"You really believe that?" The other responded.

"How else would a beaker just fall over like that?"

"I told you. It had to be rats or something."

"This is a hospital! You think they'd just let vermin like that crawl around in here!"

"It's the only logical explanation." And now a new problem has arisen. How was I going to get out? I could wait for the shift change, but who knows how long that would take? By the time a new set of guards rotates in my window could be closed and my plans foiled. Looking around the room for any secret exits I was unaware of I devised another simple plan for them to move away from the door. To play on the fears of the unsure guard. Slamming my shoulder into one of the filing cabinets, the guards outside immediately took notice.

"What the…?"

"See! I told you this place was haunted!" The other guard looked annoyed, but unsure as he unlocked the door.

"Lets go check it out."

"What?! I don't want to go in there!"

"Oh would you man up. It's our job." The guard walked into the room and flipped the lights on before pulling out a baton. "Now come on and let's see what that noise was." The room had five rows of filing cabinets, meaning they could only cover two. "You move down the far right side. I'll move to the left. We'll meet up in the middle, okay?"

Unsure of it, the other guard finally nodded. "Fine." They began making their rounds, giving me the perfect opportunity to swiftly move through the center row and out the room without ever being noticed. With this I swiftly made my way to the vent and exited the same way I came in.

I exited the bathroom and looked over at the clerk who glanced up at me in confusion.

"You okay? You were in there for a while." I looked up at the clock and saw that I had about forty minutes to make my deadline at the restaurant.

"I'm fine. Was just having some stomach issues." I replied as I walked out the door. Once out into the streets I placed my hood over my head before disappearing into the night.

 **XxXxX**

"Where's my sous chef?! We have a dish that needs tending to for table thirty seven now!" A man shouted as he went back to work. Aki Bara was one of the most high end restaurants in the village and was given the award for best place to take a date to for the last two years running. Several people were running about the kitchen trying to keep up with the orders that were flowing into the kitchen. A loud banging noise could be heard at the back door leading into the alley. "Who could be coming at this hour?! You, finish this dish while I check on the door!" The man barked as another loud knocking could be heard. Quickly opening the door in annoyance, the head chef looked down at a blonde headed boy wearing a dirty hat carrying a bag of rags and black aprons. "What do you want?"

"I'm here to drop off some rags from the cleaning service." The boy responded, showing him the bag over his back.

"What? I didn't order any cleaning… whatever. Must have been that good for nothing sous chef of mine. Go place it on the shelf in the storage room and we'll take care of it later."

"Where is the-?"

"On the other side of the kitchen. Now go! We're busy here!" The chef quickly went back to work as the boy moved through the kitchen and into the storage room. After a few moments the cleaner boy returned and left without another word after passing by several work stations.

 **XxXxX**

"Is that all sir?" A waiter asked me as I read one of the magazines that was provided by the small café. A small tea had been placed before me by an older lady that ran the small street side drink shop.

"Thank you miss." I responded with a smile, letting her take her leave to tend to someone else. The tea was hot, but needed to keep my eyes open for a while longer. Several gasps and screams began to echo from the large building across the street as moments later medical ninja appeared on site with equipment on hand. Taking another sip of my tea the scorching hot liquid made me flinch somewhat, but I continued drinking all the same. After waiting for a while longer a body bag on a stretcher was seen exiting the building.

"Oh my! What on earth happened?!" The owner asked in shock as we watched the medics carry the body away. I didn't reply. Deciding it best to finish my tea and leave the area without another word.

 **XxXxX**

Danzo looked down on me with a neutral expression. "Another job well done." He stated as he stared at my kneeling position. "This time I gave you a little more leeway to complete your mission." The bandaged man smiled somewhat at the outcome before nodding his head. "Tell me. How did you know he would have a deathly allergic reaction like that?"

"I did some research before executing my plan." Was all I responded with.

"Well your research paid off. T1, if you would." Danzo stated as T1 appeared from the shadows and placed a wallet off money before me. "Your pay for a mission well executed. I will send for you when your next mission arises. Until then might I suggest paying a visit to our local bounty board? There you could gain some real world experience and make some extra money too."

"As you wish Danzo-sama." I replied before placing the money into my jacket pocket.

"But remember that my missions come before all else. Is that understood?"

"Understood."

"Good. You are dismissed until further notice." Nodding my head I slunk back into the shadows unknowing just how pleased Danzo truly was.

 **XxXxX-Three Weeks Later**

Walking down the steps of one of the apartments in the Red Light district, the sound of my footsteps was cathartic to my ears. The noise radiated off the walls of the stairwell in an interesting fashion that made my mind buzz at the fairly odd topic of sound waves. Even if this building was a pile of garbage, it still made a strange echoing tone that not every stairwell made when walking down them. My thoughts were interrupted when a cloaked man could be seen looking out the window that gave him a perfect vantage point of the street below.

"Is it done? Did you… kill her?" The man asked, clearly not liking the word.

"Yes." I replied before stopping in front of the man and holding out my hand. "Now for the other half of my payment." He gulped before placing a bag of money into my hand. Without another word I turned and continued down the steps towards the entrance of the run down building. My name has been growing since my second official kill three weeks prior. Small jobs to large ones, I would take them all and complete them quickly.

Walking out into the dark back alley of the apartment buildings, I shifted through the garbage and sludge before finally making it out onto a neon glowing street. The Red Light district was one of the many places that shinobi and civilian officials avoided like the plague. Like most villages and cities, places like this were an unavoidable happenstance of having so many people in one place. And while Konoha was better than others at covering their underbelly up from others it was still here and an integrated part of the culture of Konoha.

Finally exiting the Red Light district, I moved through the crowded streets of the inner city until emerging into a weapons shop that I was all too familiar with. "Aki." I stated as I moved towards the back of the shop. He nodded his head in my direction before turning his attention to a customer wishing to purchase some supplies.

Several other shinobi were moving about the shop in search of supplies for the various missions that they would be going on. I waited for a lull in the store before moving to the counter with a pair of gloves like my old ones. Placing them onto the counter with a large amount of money, Aki took the money and put some into the register with the rest being stashed into his pocket. "Have a good evening, and come back in a day or two. I'm sure our next shipment will arrive by then." Aki said.

"I'm sure I'll be around then." I replied as I moved towards the entrance of the store. To my surprise Aki was the local Bounty Keeper for Konoha. Small to large bounties, everything is ran through him when it came to bounties in and around Konoha. Because of this I've stayed close to him and paid the man his finder's fee on each and every kill contracted through his board. _Never, EVER, not pay a bounty keeper his portion. It is the quickest way to end your career as a bounty hunter or assassin. Word would spread that you missed a payment, and when others hear of your reputation then they will bar you from their respective bounty boards. If the bounty is large enough then they may even place a bounty on you, which is a worst case scenario._ Danzo once explained to me with a serious face.

Aki was, in the beginning, hesitant to give me contracts, but when he received word of my triumph over Kirito from an…. _unknown_ source his mind quickly changed. The swordsman had a large bounty on his head, ranked C to be exact, and anyone who could complete a bounty like that was worthy enough to take harder bounties. Aki was only disappointed that he wasn't the one that contracted me to kill the target. Unlike his daughter, and now deceased wife, he wasn't a shinobi. He didn't know any jutsu, and he wasn't able to run up walls like Tenten. Aki's life before he met his wife was… shady, but with that behind him the storeowner now only distributes the work instead of actually doing it. What he did in his past remained a mystery to everyone who asked. I couldn't blame him. One day, if I ever meet that special someone, I would never want to tell them of the things that I'm doing right now.

As I opened the door, I was met with a familiar face. "Hey there mister blue eyes!" Aki glanced over, but returned to dealing with a customer that wanted to purchase some training kunai.

"Hello." It was Tenten, and she looked particularly beaten up and tired.

"I haven't seen you in a while. How have you been?"

"Fine, just busy." I gave her a once over, which she seemed to notice.

"Oh, sorry. We had one of our _training_ days that Gai-sensei likes to put us through." She shivered at the memory of what they did today. "I would prefer to do a hundred D rank missions than do that again." I went to respond, but then I saw something out of the corner of my eye.

"Tenten, could you help me for a moment?" Aki asked from behind the counter.

"Sure thing! See you later mister blue eyes." Tenten said with a smile before running to the counter. I left the shop and moved through the busy street that ran along the front of the building until finally entering a dark alleyway across from the shop.

"Danzo has summoned you." The shaded figure of a nameless Root ANBU said.

"I just finished a bounty. Can this wait?"

"No. This is important."

"Important to whom?"

"Quiet and come along like a good servant." I growled as he placed a hand onto my shoulder. We disappeared from alley, leaving nothing but the rats to witness our conversation. It only took a moment for us to appear in front of the warehouse that I was all too familiar with. "As you requested, my lord."

"You may leave." Danzo said, his back turned to us as he spoke. The Root disappeared, leaving the two of us to ourselves and the stars above. "Your name has grown over the last three weeks. Three personal enemies dead, and how many bounties have you tallied up from the local bounty board? Six?"

"Seven." I replied, counting the one I did today. I was slowly accumulating a small fortune from the number of missions, or bounties, that I've completed.

"And with a spotless record no less. 'The Phantom of the Leaf' has certainly lived up to the expectations, but I wonder…" Danzo finally turned to me with a slight grin on his face. "How has your home life been?" Frowning at his words, I knew exactly what he was referring to. Ever since my outburst, Yui has been avoiding me like the plague. Every now and again she would try and talk to me, but I remained quiet. Never speaking a word to my twin, while our father remained oblivious to the situation. Minato knew that I was being distant, at least more than usual, but thought nothing more of it. He was too wrapped up in his work to notice, or care. I did return to school, however, but this was only to further push my cover. Now that I've graduated from my school, it has opened up my schedule considerably. "That's what I thought. They wouldn't understand that with each bounty you collect, with each person you kill under my orders, you're cleansing this village of the plague that holds it down."

"…" It's true… if I told my family of what I was doing then they would probably disown me. Whether I believed Danzo, or not. Whether I was killing people for the money, or to unearth the 'tumors' that ate away from the inside of the village. Minato and Yui would never tolerate my methods.

"I have a new mission for you. One that will place you on the lips of even the shinobi of this village." Danzo handed me a scroll, an evil glint in his eye as he did so. "I won't lie to you. This will be one of the most difficult missions that you will be faced with up until this point. It will be a true test of your skill and it must be completed exactly as descripted. Fail to follow my orders to the letter and you _will_ die."

"Why do I want my name to be known to the shinobi? Won't it only make my work harder?" Danzo sees me as an extension of himself. He wants a tool underneath him that will strike fear into the minds of the people, and one day show the people that he has complete control of said tool.

"The harder the job, the more money you get. As your reputation grows, so too will the challenges you face. Learn this at a young age and you'll become one of the best assassin's in the world."

"Bounty hunter, assassin, it all sounds the same to me. The only difference is one pays more for what I do." I responded making Danzo chuckle.

"I'll be sure to compensate you well for your services. So long as you follow my orders of course." Danzo said as he turned to leave. "You have forty-eight hours to complete the assignment. When completed return to me for your payment." With that Danzo disappeared, leaving me with another job. One that will change my life forever.

 **XxXxX**

'This place is feeling less and less like home.' I thought as I approached the front door to my house. Minato wasn't home, but I could see Yui with my Dark Vision sitting at the desk in her room reading a scroll. Opening the door, I could see Yui's head raise slightly at the noise, but return to normal after a moment of silence. She must have known it was me… Walking to the end of the hallway, I opened my door and locked it shut behind me. I removed my jacket and scarf and walked to my own desk near the window that overlooked the main street that ran from the Hokage Tower to the front gate. After placing the scroll onto my desk, I nearly had a heart attack when a knock echoed across the room.

"Naruto? I know you're in there. Please… can we talk?" I looked over my shoulder and peered at her through the door with my Dark Vision. A hand was placed onto my door and she was staring at the ground. "I know you can hear me. Just listen, okay?" I stood from the chair at my desk and moved towards the door, but I remained quiet. She was trying to apologize. Trying to be a nice person and make amends for angering me several weeks ago. "I know that life isn't fair. That you drew the short end of the stick. After thinking, I remember that some of the best moments of my life was when I learned how to properly control my chakra, or when I finally graduated from the Academy. Then I remembered that you… disappeared. That when dad and I started focusing on becoming the best shinobi we could be for the village, you faded away." She was stumbling over her words, and I could tell she was crying. Over the last three weeks she must have finally realized what has been haunting me for so long. "I just wanted to say I was sorry, and I hope one day we could smile together like we used to."

A frown graced my features as I listened to her walk back to her room. I placed my forehead against the door and pushed the emotions that were surfacing back down. Our worlds were just so far apart. I thought that maybe with my new powers I would be able to become something akin to a shinobi, but with these powers came a responsibility. One that would push me even further away from my family than ever before.

'I'm sorry Yui…'

 **XxXxX-The following day**

"This looks miserable…" Sakura voiced as they looked at a building that has been destroyed due to a fire. "We're supposed to clean this up?" It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

"That's what the mission states." Kakashi replied as he rolled up a wheel barrel with several supplies sitting inside. Shovels, gloves, and other protective gear was bought in preparation of their new D-rank mission. "Although I think we're going to need another wheel barrel. I wasn't expecting the home to be this big." They were currently in the suburbs on the south eastern part of town. A quiet little neighborhood that many middleclass families choose to settle down in.

"Well lets get started. We don't have all day." Yui said as she grabbed a pair of gloves and a shovel from the wheel barrel.

"It's good to see Yui feeling a little better. The last couple of weeks she's been depressed I think." Sakura said to Kakashi. Their sensei nodded his head in agreement before realizing that he forgot a pair of gloves.

"Saya could you run to the store and grab a pair of gloves for me? We have one pair too little." Kakashi said, making the brooding Uchiha give her signature 'hn' before walking away. "Don't take too long! You wouldn't want to miss all the fun!"

The Uchiha didn't respond to the obviously sarcastic comment as she made her way down the street towards the nearest hardware store. As she exited the southeastern suburbs and towards the southern district that housed many of the merchant markets, Saya suddenly felt a tingle run up her spine. It was as if a pair of eyes were watching her from afar. Glancing to her sides, she couldn't see anyone who looked out of the ordinary walking along the street. It was then that a small prick tickled the side of her neck. Jumping at the contact, Saya quickly turned around, but there wasn't anybody there. She rubbed the side of her neck where the prick originated, but found that nothing was there as well. 'What is happening? Am I just paranoid?' Shaking off the feeling of uneasiness, the Uchiha approached one of the stalls that was selling the product she needed.

"One pair of work gloves please." Saya asked as she pulled out the money.

"Here you go kid. That'll be…" The man said, but Saya then began to feel light headed. Handing the man the money, she quickly took the gloves and began walking back towards where her team was located. Before she could reach them, however, her vision began to blur and her head began to hurt.

'What is going on?' Saya thought as she nearly tumbled over into a group of passing people. 'Am I sick or something?'

"Hey, are you okay?" A voice said as a hand was placed onto her shoulder. Looking over to the source of the voice, Saya could only see a pair of blue eyes looking back at her in concern through her wavering vision.

"I…" Saya went to say, but then everything went black.

 **XxXxX**

I stared down at a passed out Uchiha with dead eyes. Pulling her arm over my shoulder, we began to move through the crowd of people. Many of which sending us confused glances. "Is everything okay?" A man asked as we moved towards a small park where several children could be seen playing in the playground. I could tell that they were concerned because they knew who the person I was carrying was. Everyone knew who the 'Last Uchiha' was, and everyone in the village was in love with her for some reason. They liked her just as much as they liked Yui…

"Everything's fine. Just a little dehydrated after some training is all." I responded with a smile. The large man still looked concerned, but nodded his head nonetheless. Finding a nice tree with some shade, I placed the knocked out Uchiha against the bark of the tree before sitting down onto the cool grass. 'The poison shouldn't last too long. Maybe only a few minutes or so.' Looking over myself, I was suddenly glad that I didn't wear my jacket and scarf today. Instead I wore a dark gray shirt with black pants and shoes. 'That wouldn't have gone over very well if I looked like an unmarked shinobi.' The sound of children playing in the background, coupled with a soft breeze, sent me into a trance.

"Ouch… my head…" I kept my eyes closed as I simply waited for Saya to regain her composure. The Uchiha finally began looking around until her eyes landed on me. She stared at me for a moment, as if thinking over her position. "Did you…?"

"Are you feeling better?" I asked, finally opening my eyes to look at Saya. She was staring at me for a moment before quickly shaking her head.

"I am. What happened?"

"Not really sure. I saw you start to wobble back and forth like you weren't feeling very well. When you passed out I thought maybe a little shade and some water might help you." I replied as I handed her a bottle of water from my small backpack. Inspecting the lid and seeing that it was sealed, she opened it up and took a sip. "Training a little too hard?"

"How do you know I'm a shinobi?" Saya asked, caution in her eyes as she spoke. I pointed to my forehead, making the girl feel her own. Then a look of embarrassment ran across her features. 'Right… forehead protector.' "I'm not sure what happened. Maybe it was the heat."

"You should probably go to a doctor, just to be sure." I said with worry evident in my voice.

"I should be fine. Just need to-." Saya went to stand, but then quickly fell. Catching her fall, I helped her up by placing one of her arms over my shoulder. "I feel so weak for some reason!"

"Here, let me take you to a doctor so you can get looked at. Hopefully whatever is happening is only temporary." I said as we made our way out of the park and down the street. 'Looks like the side effects of the poison is working just as intended. What Danzo said would be a hamper is actually going to be beneficial to my plan.'

"But I need to get to my team." Saya said, but she didn't sound too convincing. She then looked over at me with curious eyes. "You look familiar… aren't you Yui's brother?"

"Nothing gets past you." I said as another pin prick tapped the side of her neck, but this time it went unnoticed by the Uchiha.

"I just remember meeting you…back… when…" Saya said as she faded off to sleep once again. Shaking my head, I pulled her into an alley between two buildings. Finding two large dumpsters I sat Saya on a pile of garbage bags before setting my backpack against one of the dumpsters. Unzipping the backpack, I removed five glass vials, plastic tubing, a bottle of alcohol, gauze, and finally a needle. The process should only take two minutes if I was fast enough. After I cleaned the inside of her arm with the gauze and alcohol, I pressed the needle into her arm and watched as the red liquid moved through the clear tubing. Two minutes later the five vials were full and the needle out of her arm. I pressed hard against her arm and waited for the blood to clot around the small entrance wound that the needle created. Once sufficiently healed to a point that would be unrecognizable to anyone not looking for a needle mark on an arm, I wrapped the vials up and placed them into my backpack.

After completing my first objective, I lifted Saya up and began carrying her back towards the park. Saya then began to stir once again as we moved towards where her team was. "Wha…?"

"Finally awake?"

"Did I pass out again?"

"Yeah. We're lucky that a medical shinobi happened to be passing by and he said that you had a strange bug that has been floating around." I replied.

"So I'm sick?"

"Not really. He said that it should only last a few minutes and sometimes make the host pass out a few times before disappearing."

"And my weakness?"

"Just feeling sore after fighting off what was inside of you. You should feel better in five to ten minutes." Saya looked relieved by my words as she felt her strength already returning with each passing step.

"Thank you for helping me." Saya said, but it sounded like she was having trouble speaking those words. I smiled at her response, but her eyes lingered on the side of my face.

"What?" I asked as Saya finally regained her footing and began walking herself. As we approached where her team was cleaning up the burnt out building, I stopped and gave the Uchiha a confused look.

"It's just… I didn't expect anyone to help me like that. Especially Yui's brother." She said with a slight blush on her cheeks.

I shrugged my shoulders at her statement. "I guess we're lucky that I happened to be passing by. Anyway have fun on your mission." With that Saya watched as the blonde twin walked away before disappearing around the corner of a building. Shaking her head, the Uchiha continued walking to where her group currently was.

"Finally decided to come back! What took you so long baka?!" Yui shouted, making the Uchiha grow irritated.

"Just took my time dobe." Saya replied before placing the gloves onto her hands and grabbing a shovel. Why should she tell them of what happened earlier?

 **XxXxX**

"Phase one complete." I said as I handed a Root ANBU my backpack on top of a roof near the center of the city.

"Understood. Initiate phase two as per instructed." The Root said before disappearing from the roof in a swirl of leaves.

"Right… phase two…" I breathed in heavily as I thought of what was to come. This would be one of the most dangerous missions I've ever undertook. Its purpose remained unknown to me, but since Danzo was paying me on top of it I saw no reason to turn it down. Still, everything needed to be performed to the letter if I was going to succeed.

 **XxXxX**

"Do you want to get a bite to eat with us Saya?" Sakura asked, hopeful that her teammate would accept after being turned down so many times.

"I'll pass." Saya replied before turning and walking towards the Uchiha District, where a quiet training field awaited.

"Come on baka! You never eat with us. It's a part of team building!" Yui replied, but the stoic girl continued walking without a word. "Fine! See if we care!"

The Uchiha was soon out of earshot of her team with only a mild headache this time. "Why do they insist on inviting me to dinner every time we finish a mission?" Shaking her head, she continued walking through the dense crowds as she made her way towards the Uchiha District. It was the only place in the village where nobody would bother her, and the only place that she could truly remind herself why she must become strong.

As she moved towards her old home, the crowds became thinner with each passing step. There wasn't many reasons for ordinary people to travel to the Clan District unless they needed to deliver something. Even then the clan in question would normally send out their own member to retrieve whatever it was that originally needed delivering. Because of this the surrounding area had very little foot traffic, which was welcomed to the 'last' remaining Uchiha.

Finally entering through the gate to her own district, Saya remembered seeing the bodies that littered the ground of the street as she moved towards the training grounds. 'I'll become stronger… to avenge everyone. Mark my words.' Saya shook the feeling of remorse from her body as she continued walking. It was then that something… cold ran up her spine. Saya stopped and began looking around at the Uchiha marked buildings around her. It felt like…

Her eyes widening, Saya quickly began looking around in desperation. "Itachi!" Saya shouted to the empty street, her eyes dancing wildly over each corner of darkness. The only light came from the street lamps that lined the street. "I know you're here! Come out and face me you coward!" Only the buzz of the lamp posts met her ears. "Itach-!" Then she saw it. A dark mantle looking at her from the door of her old home.

Filled with a boiling rage, Saya charged after the mantle as said figure disappeared into the darkness of the place that she once called home. 'It has to be him. Nobody else has ever made me feel this much raw anger!' The door slowly closed before Saya, but she smashed the door down and looked around the entrance. For a moment there was nothing, then she saw a door at the end of the dark hallway slowly close. 'There!' Dashing towards the door, the impatient Uchiha quickly slid the door open to reveal the room that her parents…

Saya came to a halt after realizing where she was being led to by the shadowy figure. "Why…?" Saya said as she walked into the room. The blood stains were still there from where her parents were…

Before she could think of anything else she was roughly turned around and smashed in the face by a metal object.

 **XxXxX**

I threw the shovel I was holding off to the side and turned back to the knocked out Uchiha. 'Three times in one day. Are you that oblivious? So many openings…' The rope that sat in the corner of the room was quickly tied around her ankles, knees, arms, and wrists. After this I went to work with removing any hidden weapons that could be found over her body. As I dragged Saya to the center of the room, where the only light coming in was from a street lamp outside of the single window in the room, my mind began to wander. 'So what Danzo told me was true. Saya's parents must have been killed in this room. It's the only reason why she would freeze up like that.' Dropping the prodigy onto the ground, I moved back into the shadows and awaited her eventual return to consciousness.

It took her a moment, a few minutes really, but after a while Saya began to stir from her forced slumber. "W-What the hell." Saya muttered as she rolled over onto her back and opened her eyes. Another few seconds passed, but then the memories returned to her. "Wait, where did you go?!" Quickly shooting up into a sitting position, the girl regretted that decision as a painful throb erupted in her head. "Ouch…"

"…" I watched as she finally realized that she was tied down tightly by very thick rope.

"Itachi! Come out! I know you're there!" Saya shouted as she struggled against her restraints, but this only caused rope burn to appear on her arms and legs.

"Itachi… I haven't heard that name in a while." I responded from the shadows. It was a lie, but I needed to force out even more emotion from the already emotionally scarred girl.

"You aren't my brother." Saya said, anger seething out of every one of her pores.

"No. I'm not." Saya was staring into the darkness where my voice was coming from.

"But you know who he is."

"…"

"Tell me where he is." These words were said in a _very_ threatening voice.

"No."

"Tell me where he is you coward!" Saya struggled against her restraints even more, but they wouldn't budge. "I swear if you don't tell me where that murderer is hiding I'll force it out of you."

"Not part of my contract."

"What do you mean 'contract'?"

"Before your clan was murdered did your father include you in their clan meetings?"

"Are you a shinobi from another village? Is that what's going on here?" Saya replied in anger. "Trying to steal the secrets of the Uchiha?!"

"I'm not a shinobi from another village." I replied. "I'm an individual contractor. Now answer the question."

"Go to he-." A fist was smashed into her face, making her fall to the ground. Grabbing onto the ropes that bound her arms at her back, I pulled her back up to a sitting position.

"Your family has many secrets. Secrets that are only discussed amongst the most elite of your clan. My employer is trying to learn of as many of them as possible." Saya was still slightly dazed as I removed my grip from the rope. I quickly disappeared back into the shadows as my target began to come out of her daze. "Now I'll ask again. Were. You. Present."

"I see what's going on. The person that hired you… was Itachi, wasn't it?" Saya slightly smiled as the idea seemed to finalize in her head. "He's scared that maybe our father told me something about the clan that was possibly withheld from him." The girl laughed as the thought finally seemed all too real in her head. "And he sent you! A mercenary! To extract the information because he couldn't return to the village otherwise! How pathetic!"

Then a sharp pain exploded from her body, making the Uchiha scream in agony. Looking down she saw one of her kunai sticking out of her upper thigh and blood oozing out of the wound. Looking up she saw the hooded man with a scarf looking into her eyes. A purple aura radiated from the darkness within the darkness making him look like a demon.

"You will tell what you know." I twisted the blade, making her scream once more. "In due time…"

 **XxXxX**

"You didn't have to come with me." Sakura said as she carried a box of food with her towards the Uchiha district. Yui smiled as she placed her hands behind her head.

"I know, but we need to work on our team bonding." Yui replied, making Sakura sigh and shake her head. "Besides, I want to see if that idiot is coming up with any secret moves without me knowing."

"Is that the real reason you came?" Sakura asked with a sweat drop, but Yui already had an evil gleam in her eye. "You can't be serious Yui. We're on the same te-." Then they heard it. A blood curdling scream as soon as they entered the Uchiha district. "Was that…?"

"That was Saya! Come on!" Yui shouted as they dashed down the empty street of the compound.

"What's going on?!" Sakura asked to nobody in particular, but then another scream reached their ears. Sakura was becoming increasingly worried with each step they took.

"Don't know, but we better hurry! This way!" Yui replied as they turned a corner to see a home with its door smashed in. "Over there!"

"Saya has to be in there." Sakura shouted as they stopped near the door and pressed their backs against each side.

"Sakura." Yui said, gaining her teammates attention. The jinchuuriki could tell that she was nearly scared to death of what was to come. "Find Kakashi and bring him here."

"But what about Saya?"

"I'll scout the situation and find out what's going on. Hurry and find our sensei." Yui said, gaining a quick nod from her teammate.

"Be back soon." Sakura said before running back down the street. Breathing in heavily, Yui entered the building as quietly as possible, but as she entered she saw her teammate. At the end of the hallway she saw her through a door that was left open. Bleeding and tied down so she couldn't move, Saya looked to be knocked out with a small amount of blood dripping from her mouth. Standing over her was a black garbed mantle with a scarf and hood.

"Saya!" Yui shouted on instinct for her teammate's health. The mantle looked down the hallway, as if not surprised that she was there. The darkness underneath the hood made it impossible for her to decipher who it could be, but when he was alerted to her presence he moved towards the door as if to close it. "Oh no you don't!" Dashing towards the closing door, Yui ran as fast as she could.

The door closed in front of her, but less than a second later she smashed through said door with her shoulder. Tumbling into the room the blonde quickly scanned her surroundings, but it was empty save for the unconscious Uchiha. "Where did he…?" Shaking her head, Yui began untying her teammate and treating the wounds to the best of her abilities. Chasing down the perpetrator would have to come after she tended to Saya's wounds.

 **XxXxX**

"She knew nothing." I said as I approached a dark figure in front of my training warehouse.

"Nothing you say?" Danzo questioned as I came closer.

"Fugaku had yet to integrate her into the upper echelon of the Uchiha before the massacre occurred. Saya is unaware of any secrets that her family may possess other than the Mangekyo Sharingan." I reported.

"A shame, but I suppose it is to be expected." Danzo said as he rubbed his chin in thought. "In any case a job well done. You fulfilled your mission parameters even if the end result isn't what I wished. Here is your payment for the mission." He placed a large sum of money into my hand, which I quickly stashed away. "You've proven yourself to be able to complete missions against shinobi, which is incredible in its own right. Even if your target was emotionally unstable. Congratulations my young assassin."

"Thank you." I replied with a bow.

"I will call for you if something else comes up." Danzo turned and began walking away. "Until we meet again." With that he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

'Saya…' I thought as I turned and began walking down the street towards the warehouse entrance. 'To be that emotionally imbalanced just at the mention of her older brother. Everything Danzo's told me about the remaining Uchiha has been true. Itachi's Sharingan must be very powerful to leave a lasting scar like that.' After leaving the warehouse district, I began moving towards my home with my payment in my pocket. 'The Naka Shrine seems interesting, and I'm sure if Danzo knew about it he would have gained even more power from its secrets. Something that I cannot allow until I know what's going on.'

Lowering my hood and taking off my scarf, I looked up into the night sky and frowned. Was this what my life was going to be like? I wanted to save this village from the people that were destroying it from within, but did that entail the killing of people just for profit? Possibly, but if this is what it takes to save this village then so be it. The consequences would catch up to me at some point, and when they do I would gladly pay it in full.

 **XxXxX**

"What did you see Yui." Kakashi asked. They were currently at the hospital outside of the room that housed their teammate. After finding their sensei, Sakura and the Jonin quickly made it to the Uchiha District to find Yui doing her best to stop the bleeding. The three took the knocked out Uchiha to the shinobi hospital where they were currently trying to recollect what happened, and since Yui was the only one to actually see what happened first hand…

"When I entered the building I saw Saya on the ground in the room where we found her. Standing over Saya was…" Yui sighed as she tried her best to recollect what happened. Sakura quietly listened in on the conversation. Having not been there near the end, she could only tell her sensei of the screams that they heard on their initial approach.

"Was what?" Kakashi asked.

"A man. Wearing a black jacket and hood with a scarf that covered the lower portion of his face. When I began running down the hallway he turned to me and closed the door. Not one second later I smashed the door down, but when I scanned the room he was already gone." Yui recollected. "That's when you two showed up a few minutes later."

"Hmm…" Kakashi placed his hand onto his chin in thought. "He probably escaped out the open window, but to do so in that short amount of time means he is very fast."

"Who is it, and why did he go after Saya?" Sakura asked.

"I'll have to ask Saya what she saw when she wakes up. There's still no information to confirm what's going on." Kakashi said as a doctor exited the room. "How is she?"

"She'll be fine. The kunai wounds on her leg, arm, and back should heal within twenty-four hours, and the bruises should be gone before then." The doctor replied as he handed the clipboard to the Jonin, who gave it a once over.

"Is she awake?" Sakura asked.

"She is, and you can see her at this time as well."

"Thank you." Kakashi said as he handed the clipboard back. "So no serious damage was done?"

"Besides the light head trauma, stab wounds, and other bruises she should be fine."

"I see. Well thank you again." Kakashi said as he opened the door to the room as the doctor disappeared down the hallway. "Come on. Lets see how Saya is doing." This gained a nod from the two females as they entered the room. Saya had her head against the pillow, but she was staring out into the late evening sky through a window near her bed with a glazed over expression.

"Saya!" Sakura exclaimed before running to the bedside. The Uchiha never looked over, but instead kept her eyes staring out into the darkness of the hospital courtyard.

"How are you doing Saya?" Kakashi asked as Yui and himself stood by the foot of the bed. She then looked over at the man with a look that the Jonin hasn't seen in a long time. "Yui, Sakura, can you please wait outside for a moment."

"But why?! We have every right to be here!" Yui complained, but the look she received from her teacher demanded obedience. "Fine, lets go Sakura." The pinkette looked between the two before reluctantly following her teammate out into the hall.

Once the door was closed Kakashi looked to Saya with a hardened expression. "Who was the person that attacked you?"

"He was sent by _him_." Saya said with as much venom as she could muster.

"…" Kakashi, of course, knew who Saya was referring to, but it still didn't make any sense. Why would her brother randomly send someone to attack her? "Why?"

"To extract any secrets that my father may have told me." Saya explained. Each word that left her mouth only fueled her anger further. "Itachi sent him to make sure he didn't miss anything." Slamming her fist into the side of the bed in annoyance, the girl remembered that she was forced to tell the dark mantle what she knew. "And I actually told him what little I knew. Damn it!"

Not wanting to prod into that topic further, Kakashi decided to switch the direction of the conversation. "And what of the man? Can you give me a description of his physical appearance?"

"He wore a black jacket and hood with a scarf around the lower portion of his face. While in the room he mostly stuck to the shadows, but I think he was about our age, maybe a little older." Internally Kakashi sighed. This was the exact same description that Yui gave him.

"Anything else?"

"There was this one thing…" The Jonin's hopes perked at this. "When he stabbed me in the leg I could see his eyes glow a dark purple in the darkness where his eyes should be. It looked almost like a demon had taken over."

"Purple glowing eyes?" Kakashi voiced as he thought over the implications of this information. "And you're sure that it was your brother that sent him?"

"Who else could it have been?! He was sent to try and uncover the remaining secrets of the Uchiha Clan. It has to be him. I just know it." Saya said with anger returning to her voice.

"In any case we're going to have to relay this information to the Hokage in the morning. For now get some rest." Kakashi said as he moved towards the door. 'If what Saya said is true than this man shouldn't be too much of an issue. He's already got the information he came for and is likely going to leave Saya alone for the time being, but something doesn't add up. Why would Itachi hire a mercenary to obtain sensitive Uchiha information? If this is true than this man must be highly trusted by Itachi, meaning a possible spy may be in our mists and a very powerful one at that.' Shaking his head at the thought, the silver haired man placed his hand on the door knob. 'Minato is going to want to hear about this… and he's not going to like what I'm going to have to say.'

 **XxXxX**

 **AN:** Hello everyone. I know it's been a while, but like I've said before in one of my other stories I've been a rough go at it lately. Not writers block, but just life in general.

Anyway, thank you all for continuing to read my stories. It truly means a lot.


	5. Work Abroad

**XxXxX**

"So the Uchiha was attacked?" Minato questioned as he sat at his desk, fingers entangled in front of his mouth. "And she was interrogated for information?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Kakashi replied.

"What information was the attacker looking for?"

"Unknown. Saya refuses to tell me what was given, but I know it doesn't pertain to the safety of our village. Just her clan's secrets." Minato sighed as he rubbed temples in annoyance.

"Do we know who the attacker was?"

"Also unknown. He was apparently cloaked and neither Yui nor Saya could get a good look at his body." Minato was about to sigh in annoyance once again until Kakashi stopped him. "But…"

"But?"

"I'm not sure how solid this information is, but Saya did say that the man had glowing purple eyes that looked like a demon's."

"A demon's? That sounds rather farfetched. Was it possible she was hallucinating?"

"It's certainly possible, but we can't know for sure until this man resurfaces again."

"Will he?"

"Again, it's possible, but it would seem that he got what he wanted."

"And you said that he was obtaining information on the Uchiha clan?"

"Yes sir."

"Why?"

"Saya believes that he was working for someone. Whether or not this was divulged by the attacker isn't clear, but it's all we have at the moment."

"Any idea who it could be?"

"Yes. Saya believes it's Itachi Uchiha." The room grew ice cold at the mention of that name.

"Itachi? Why would he hire someone to interrogate Saya for sensitive clan secrets? Wouldn't he just do it himself?"

"That's what I thought at first as well, but the more I think about it the more it makes sense."

"Explain."

"Itachi wouldn't risk his life reentering the village just to obtain whatever little information that was learned from Saya. It's even possible that whatever information Saya spilled was already known by Itachi and he's just trying to make completely sure nothing was missed."

"But that doesn't mean he would trust someone other than himself with sensitive clan secrets."

"And that's what worries me." Kakashi truly looked concerned as he looked out the window overlooking the village. "If there is someone within the village that is willing to work for an S-Rank missing shinobi then we may have an even bigger issue on our hands."

"That is worrisome, but without any information on what the person looks like we can't go after him."

"The only thing we have on him is he's roughly the same age as my students and he may have glowing purple eyes. That's it at the moment."

"I see. Well for the time being we will leave things as they are, but keep an eye on Saya. If she truly believes that this is somehow connected to Itachi then I'm afraid the girl will do something she may regret."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

 **XxXxX**

"Hello mister blue eyes! I wasn't expecting you to come in today!" Tenten said with a bright smile as I walked into the weapons shop. Last night I attacked Saya Uchiha and lied to the person that hired me to do it. This went against everything I was taught to do, but allowing Danzo to gain more power would only hamper my future plans. It was the following morning and a heavy mist blanketed the early morning air.

"Not on a mission or training?" I questioned as the door closed behind me.

"Nope! We have the day off." The girl said as she leaned forward onto the counter with a heavy sigh. "It's some much needed R&R."

"Congratulations."

"Anyway, what can I help you with?"

"I'm actually looking for your father. Would he happen to be in at the moment?" Tenten looked confused at my words.

"Aki? Why would you need to talk to him?"

"I ordered something and was wondering if he got it in."

"Oh, Aki is out at the moment, but he'll be in around noon." Tenten stated as she tapped the side of her head in thought. "I could see if he left it here for you. What was it that you ordered?"

"If he left it here then it would be a scroll." I replied, making the girl look underneath the counter for anything that could have been left.

"Hmm… nothing's here. Let me check the back and see if it's there." With that Tenten disappeared into the back room in search of the desired item. After she was gone the bell by the door rung signaling that it had been opened. Glancing over I saw another man walk up next to me and turn towards the counter. The man standing next to me looked normal enough. Dark hair, plain clothes, and a gray hat that mostly covered his eyes, but I knew better. Just by looking at his eyes, or the way he carried himself, I could see that he was just like me.

"Aki isn't here." I softly spoke. The man didn't even flinch when I spoke, he only nodded his head as he continued to stare forwards. He wasn't a shinobi, but a normal man looking for money. In a way this made us similar, but because of this similarity we both knew we could never become close. This isn't a topic that people should become friends over…

"I see. Do you know when he'll be back in?" The man responded in an equally dead tone.

"Lunch."

"Thank you." The man then walked out of the store without another word.

"Was that a customer?" Tenten asked as she emerged from the back room. I shrugged my shoulders, making her puff her cheeks in annoyance. "Are you ever going to be useful?"

"Maybe one day." I responded as Tenten handed me the scroll with my name on it. I walked towards the door while placing the scroll into my pocket.

"When are you going to tell me your name?"

"Maybe-."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll see you next time." Tenten replied as I fully exited the store. Chuckling at her expense I continued my trek through the heart of the village towards one of my favorite morning spots.

It took me about twenty minutes of walking, but I finally found it. "Welcome to Ichiraku's! How may I help-." Ayame went to say, but saw it was me and smiled brightly. "Well if it isn't Naruto! How are you doing this morning?" My hood was down and my scarf has since been placed into my pocket for safe keeping.

"Doing well. Thought I'd get some breakfast before starting my day." I replied once taking a seat at the counter.

"And what does today hold for my favorite customer?"

"Just some studying is all." As the words left my mouth I produced the scroll that was given to me by Tenten.

"Gotcha. Would you like the usual breakfast ramen?" Ayame asked.

"Sounds good." The girl nodded and wrote something down before walking over to the pot. "Where's Teuchi this morning?"

"He's out grabbing some supplies for the lunch rush." Ayame replied as she went to work on cooking my food. "Yui seems happier lately." I frowned at Ayame's words as I opened the scroll. "Did something happen at home?" This was Yui's favorite place to eat as well so it made sense that my twin would come to Ayame to talk about what was happening.

"Nothing really." My mind memorized the scroll as my eyes grazed over each and every word. There was a silence that fell over us with Ayame cooking my food and me 'studying'. After another few moments of silence Ayame decided to talk again.

"She told about what happened. The fight you two got into." I remained silent as she continued. "I thought that since she was happier than normal that you two finally talked it out."

"I haven't talked to her. Probably happy about something else." I replied in a very emotionless tone. My eyes never leaving the scroll in front of me. Without me noticing Ayame was staring at me with concern in her eyes. She's noticed the change in my personality, I'm sure of it. If there was anyone that could see my gradual change it would be Yui and Ayame.

"Maybe, but she's always cared for you. More than you know." Ayame said as she slid the bowl of ramen in front of me while I rolled up my now memorized scroll.

"..." I stared down at my food in quiet contemplation before cracking my chopsticks apart. "Thank you for the food." I said quietly.

I ate my food in silence once another customer entered the store and pulled Ayame's attention away from me. Standing up I waved at Ayame as I left the shop.

"Come again soon!" Ayame said. I walked down the street towards the western part of the village where my mark resided. It was an easy job, but I needed to be professional about it. The easiest jobs could very easily become the hardest ones.

Forty minutes later I found myself standing in front of a six story apartment building in one of the darker parts of town. The mist still hung low as I placed my hood over my head and scarf around my face. As I entered the building I noticed that the building was old, but not as disgusting as some of the buildings in the Red Light District. 'Fourth floor.' I told myself as I began my march up the steps until finding the floor that coincided with the scroll. It was quiet as I'm sure most of the people are at work at this time of day. '428.' My steps silently echoed off the walls with each passing step.

Now in front of the door I activated my Dark Vision and peered into the room. An old man sat in his chair watching TV with a cigarette resting in an ash tray. Three other people hid in closets or adjacent rooms, but based on what they wore I could tell they weren't shinobi. Opening the door, a small amount of lingering smoke flowed out of the room and into the hallway. I walked into the room and closed the door behind me.

"The 'Phantom of the Leaf'. Here in the flesh." The old man said once I sat down onto the couch nearby. He was old… maybe in his late eighties or nineties if I had to guess. "You're much younger than I thought you'd be."

"And you're much older than I thought you'd be." The old man laughed as he took another drag of his cigarette.

"Misinformation can be very useful when placed in the right places." The man put the cigarette back onto the ash tray and continued staring at the TV. "I thought you'd poison me, or cut my throat in my sleep."

"I could have, but not you. You're someone who should be treated with respect." I commented.

"Respect? Sorry, but we don't deserve any respect. People like me, like you, we knew exactly what we were signing up for, and we both know how we are going to end." At this moment three men emerged from their hiding places all hold knives.

"Yeah… I guess we do…" I replied, still sitting on the couch as they moved closer. Just as they were about to attack a slight wind picked up in the room and within the blink of an eye the walls were covered in crimson blood. The older man seemed unfazed by this and continued staring at the TV while smoking his cigarette.

"Did anyone ever tell you how I became so powerful? How I ruled the underworld of Konoha for such a long time?"

"I can take a guess."

"Then tell me young one. What did it take for me to gain so much power?"

"Sacrifice." The old man laughed, but then began coughing roughly at my words. "Danzo has wanted you dead for a long time, but you even managed to hide from him." I shook my head. "And here I am killing you after accepting an odd job."

"Danzo could have killed me several times, but he knew that I lost everything I had gained when that damned Fourth Hokage took office." The elder looked sad as he remembered when Minato took office. "He probably kept me alive to spite me…"

"So the only money you had left was spent on these three men? A shame, but we all have to fall from grace someday."

"When one generation falls into the history books a new one fills the void. I'm lucky I lasted as long as I have."

"I suppose you're right." I looked over at the man who knew what was coming next. "Any last words?"

"Tell my son… that I love him. Tell him that I've always loved him and my granddaughter. And…" It was then that I noticed tears falling down his cheeks. "I'm sorry for his wife. I'm so sorry."

Standing from the couch, I raised my hand with the wind building behind it. "Have a nice rest." With a swift downwards motion it was over. The room was quiet as I silently left the apartment. That old man wasn't one of the tumors. No… he was just a shell of who he once was.

Now standing outside of the apartment complex I turned and looked up at the window that once housed one of the most powerful men in the village. 'Is that how I'll end up if I ever grow old? Alone with only myself to keep me company?'

I didn't want to think about it. If this was how I would end up then so be it.

 **XxXxX**

"I can't believe we finally convinced dad to give us a C-Rank mission!" Yui exclaimed with excitement. "It's about time!" The blonde girl was currently walking down the street towards her home where she was instructed to pack whatever she deemed important for an extended trip such as this. Thinking over everything she would need, a patch of golden yellow swam past her peripheral vision. Nearly skipping a heartbeat, Yui shot around to see her brother walking down the road wearing a black jacket with its hood down. "Nar-!" But then something caught in her throat.

'Why am I hesitating?' Yui thought as Naruto continued on his way without ever seeing her. 'He's my twin brother, yet…' That angry face flashed before her again. Growling at her weakness she ran after Naruto.

"Naruto!" The boy in question stopped and looked over his shoulder. Yui froze as she looked into the eyes of someone she couldn't recognize. It was Naruto standing before her, but those eyes. They held nothing!

"…" He stared her down as people walked past them on the very busy street.

"I just wanted to say that I'm going to be leaving the village for a while on a mission." Yui had to look away from the bone chilling stare her brother was giving her.

"Have fun." Even his words held no emotion.

"I'm not sure how long I'll be away." She glanced up to see the same face as before. "That's all I wanted to say. See you when I get back." Yui turned and began walking away, but stopped when something came to her ears.

"Stay safe, Yui." The girl turned to see that Naruto had already disappeared into the crowd. Yui smiled brightly when she heard those words.

 **XxXxX**

A familiar bell rang as I entered the weapons shop that served as my bounty board. Aki was seen answering some questions for a customer while Tenten was nowhere to be seen. After looking over at me he dismissed the puzzled Chunin and turned his attention to me. I nodded my head, making Aki sadden somewhat.

"Follow me please." Aki said as I followed him into the back room, leaving a very confused Chunin in our wake. The weapons smith closed the door and sat at the table motioning me to follow suit. After sitting down I placed the scroll onto the table and hardened my gaze at Aki. "Is it done?"

"Yes." As soon as I spoke Aki took a deep trembled breathe.

"I'm… sorry I had to ask you to do this." I knew what he was trying to say. He wanted the rumored 'Phantom of the Leaf' to kill the old man, and I knew why…

"He wanted me to tell you something." Aki didn't look up. Just kept his face buried in his hands. "He said that he's always loved you and your daughter." His body began to tremble somewhat as I spoke. "And… he was sorry for what happened with your wife." Tears began falling from beneath his hands as I watched the normally distant man break down.

I sat there for a while in silence as I watched Aki grieve and simply take in what he's just done. What transpired between the two leading up to this point remained unknown to me, but it must have been bad if it came to this.

"Thank you for bringing me his last words." Aki finally said after another moment of silence. I didn't respond as I watched him grab the scroll and throw it into the trash. His eyes lingered on the metal trash bin for a while before finally he stood up and moved towards the stairs leading up to the second floor.

With that I was left alone to my own thoughts. After another few seconds of silence I exited the back room and into the store front to see that it was dormant of life. Seizing the opportunity, I locked the front door and flipped the sign to the 'Closed' position. It was the least I could do…

"Well if it isn't Naruto!" I knew the voice before I even turned around.

"Danzo?" I questioned as the elderly man walked towards me.

"How have you been? I haven't seen you since the incident with the CCC." Danzo asked as we both played our roles in case someone may have been following the powerful shinobi.

"Trying to get a head start on my high school studies." I replied as we began walking down the busy road. It took a lot to keep a happy persona up, but I knew that any number of people could be following this man around. Risking who I really was just because I didn't feel like acting was _very_ unprofessional.

"Would you like to chat over some tea? I've been in meetings all morning and need some time to unwind."

"Tea doesn't sound bad at all. Did you have a place in mind?"

"There's this really nice tea shop near here that has a nice view of the Hokage Plaza. Would that suffice?"

"Of course! Hopefully they have good food as well."

"You won't be disappointed. They actually have the best…" Our conversation carried on as we continued down the street. All the while keeping up our pointless conversation so we may have bored any would be listeners. Danzo and I were both people that hated this sort of thing, pointless conversations that is, but knew the art of deception required one to be particularly good at misleading conversations. While his Root agents could probably never complete this, Danzo made sure to drill this aspect of deception into my head until it became almost instinct when the time called for it.

"I didn't realize your favorite restaurant was so close to my home." I stated as we entered a massive plaza at the very center of the village. The plaza was surrounded by three story buildings in a circular fashion with a fountain that rivaled their size. Four roads, one leading south towards the main gate, another heading north towards the Hokage Tower, a third pushing west towards the industrial and red light districts, and a final road that would lead one into the clan district in the east, surrounded the plaza. This was one of the busiest places in the village for obvious reasons, and two blocks north was the place I called home. This place was…

"Only the best businesses can afford to rent a place here on the Great Hokage Plaza." Danzo coined as we walked past crowds of people that seemed to be basking in the beauty of the plaza. This was the place that one can see both the Hokage Tower and the front gate at the same time without hopping atop buildings.

I followed Danzo into one of the buildings and up a series of stairs until finally we came to a glass door. Inside the building was decorated in a golden hue with dark greens scattered about the stairwell leading towards the top floor. A servant opened the door with a deep bow, allowing us access to a rather exclusive restaurant if I had to guess. A woman wearing a hostess uniform stood behind a desk with a bright smile adorning her face.

"Hello Danzo-sama. A table for two?" The woman asked.

"In the usual spot if you'd please." Danzo replied politely. The woman bowed and we followed her to a booth next to a window that overlooked the plaza. The room was large and had plenty of booths and tables around the room, but to my surprise it was sparsely populated. In fact the booth we were sitting at had nobody within earshot. Was it because of how outrageously expensive this place was? A waiter soon came by with a tea pot and two cups. "Could you bring us some samples please? My friend here is very hungry." The waiter bowed obediently and left without a word.

"So, what do I owe the pleasure?" I asked as Danzo poured us our tea.

"You have another mission." The elder said, getting straight to the point. He handed me my cup of tea and I took a delicate sip of the hot liquid. "This time it will take you out of the Land of Fire."

"Oh? I've never left the village before. Are you're sure I'm up to it?" Danzo chuckled at my apprehensiveness.

"You'll do just fine, but I must say that this mission is rather… complex." The waiter returned and placed several food items in front of us before leaving once again. "It regards who you'll be traveling with and who your target is."

"Who's the target?"

"Sōsetsu Kazahana. Daimyō of the Land of Snow."

"A… daimyō?" Danzo nodded, making me sigh heavily. "Interesting…"

"You'll be traveling with a group of diplomats from Konoha heading on a routine political mission to improve relations between our two nations. They'll depart within the next twenty-four hours if my sources are correct."

"And I'm assuming you've already made arrangements?"

"No, I haven't. You're on your own in gaining access to the diplomatic team. The only person that can give you permission to accompany them would be the Fourth Hokage. Meaning…"

"It would have looked out of character for you to ask on my behalf. I understand."

Danzo nodded his head, relieved that he didn't have to explain this aspect of the mission. "Once there you are kill the man however you see fit, but you _cannot_ reveal yourself as my assassin. Do you understand?"

"Understood."

"Good. Now here is the scroll containing your mission parameters. You have until the end of the trip to complete the mission." Danzo said as he took one last sip of his tea before standing. "I expect to hear of your success when you return, because you know what failure means." I nodded my head, and with that the man left the restaurant to other important tasks.

Sighing, I looked out the window with a blank stare. 'Killing a daimyō… who would have thought it'd come to this.'

 **XxXxX**

After the meeting I quickly made my way towards the Hokage Tower with one goal in mind. To gain access to the diplomatic team that would travel to the Land of Snow tomorrow morning. How I would do this remained unknown to me, but I knew my father. I knew how he thought, and how to pull at his heart strings. While the task for a normal civilian would be near impossible. For me…

"You may come in!" I heard a voice shout from inside the Hokage office. Opening the door my father peered up at me from beneath the massive pile of paper that had accrued across his desk. "Naruto! How have you been?" I smiled brightly, placing the same façade onto my being as before with Danzo. "You must be pretty busy because I've hardly seen you at the house lately."

"I've been studying a lot with other people in my previous class. No reason to get rusty just because it's summer break, right?" Minato chuckled at my words as he pushed some of the papers out of the way so he could see me. 'I doubt he even knows I graduated…'

"So, what do I owe the pleasure?"

"What? Can't I just stop in to see my dad every now and again?"

"I know you better than that. You'd only come here if you wanted something, so spit it out." Minato said with humor in his voice. I must be more like him than I know.

"Okay, okay…" I sighed as I approached the window overlooking the village. "I just wanted to know if I could leave the village for a while."

"Leave the village? Why would you want to do that?" He honestly looked surprised at my request, but decided to hear me out.

"I've been working really hard lately, and was thinking of different ideas for vacation. So then I thought that maybe I could leave the village for a while!" I smiled brightly as I imagined traveling to different places and meeting different people. "I've always wanted to travel, so I thought I could maybe couple that into my vacation time."

"Hmm…" Minato saw how brightly I smiled when I spoke of traveling and smiled himself. "I suppose it's only fair then. Your sister is actually leaving the village today on her first C-Rank mission so, like I said before, it's only fair that you can leave the village as well."

I turned to Minato with bright eyes and a wide smile. "Really?! I can go anywhere I want?!"

"Now hold on there. You're going to have to travel with some people because you can't protect yourself from bandits." Minato said while holding up his hands in an attempt to calm me down.

"Travel with people? Who would I be traveling with?"

"A diplomatic team led by Shibi Aburame and later by a different jonin. They are heading towards the Land of Snow for… diplomatic reasons, but on the way they'll be staying in Land of Hot Water. It's an easy and laid back mission that's perfect for your vacation." Minato said, expecting some form of complaint like his sister normally shouted, but was surprised when I only smiled and nodded.

"That sounds perfect! I've always wanted see the Land of Hot Water! Thanks dad!" I said as I hugged him tightly, much to his surprise. "When are we leaving?" I asked once we separated.

"Tomorrow morning at dawn. I'll let them know that you'll be attending their little voyage." Minato said with a smile of his own. "I hope you have a fantastic time."

"Not going to be home tonight?" I asked as I opened the door to leave.

"Too much of this paper work… I think I'll just sleep on the office couch tonight." Minato replied, well grumbled. Chuckling at his expense I went to close the door.

"Later dad." But once the door was fully closed I dropped the persona and returned to my cold visage. 'Step one complete.'

 **XxXxX**

'So tomorrow morning… huh?' I thought as I sat on an empty bench at the dead of night in one of Konoha's massive parks. A single light shined down onto me while the crickets chirped loudly around me. It was surreal, really. Finally I would be able to leave the village, but a heavy cost hung over my head for me to do so. Was this truly the right thing to be doing? I asked myself that every single day, but I still couldn't find the answer. There likely wasn't one for my dilemma, at least not now. I'm sure if I grow old and look back on everything I've done, and what I'm going to do, that the answer would be clear as day. But for now it remained out of reach…

"Naruto?" I turned my head to see a familiar face walking down the stone path. "What are you doing here?"

"Hello Saya." The raven haired girl stood just inside of the light of the lamp that radiated its beam down around us. "Just taking a little walk."

"Oh…" The girl stood there awkwardly as she looked down onto me. "Can I…?" I nodded my head as Saya sat down onto the bench next to me. We stayed quiet for a while. The two of us simply enjoying the noise that nature made at night. "Thanks." I looked over to her with confusion in my eyes. "For the other day."

"Anyone would have done the same for the 'Last Uchiha'." Saya tightened her fists at my words, but her eyes portrayed sadness.

"No. Most people avoid me like the plague." I remained silent, simply listening to her words. "They see me as the prodigy that will lift them to new heights. A _thing_ that can be ogled at from afar, but never approached." I was simply giving her a sideways glance while she stared at the ground before her. 'Why am I telling him this? I've never told anyone anything before…'

"It's hard living with all the expectations of those around you. They believe that you're their savior, but in reality you're in pain." Saya's onyx eyes widened when she heard my words.

"I'm not in pain! Who do you think-!" Saya exclaimed as she turned to me.

"It's in your eyes." She went quiet when I said those words. "Those cold eyes you hold may shield your emotions from others, but underneath…" I then looked forward into the darkness as a slight pang of emotion rose from my stomach. "The pain lingers." The Uchiha didn't say anything at first. She simply stared at me before slowly looking forwards once again. A breeze swept over us, shaking the leaves from the trees around us. "I think you and I are more alike than we'd like to admit."

"…?" Saya looked to me with a combination of confusion and… sadness?

"Always overshadowed by people around us. Glanced over towards a brighter light."

"What do you know?! You still have a father! You still have a sister! They both still love you and are alive!" Saya shouted as she stood in anger, but I knew this was just a defensive mechanism to hide her pain. Her fear.

"They are, but when I look at them I realize how different we are from one another. Look at me." I said as she looked to my body. "I can never preform jutsu. I can never walk up walls. I can never breathe fire. I'm just…" I shut my eyes and sighed before standing. "I'm sorry Saya. I shouldn't have said anything. Have a nice night and good luck on your mission tomorrow."

Saya didn't say anything as I walked away, and I couldn't tell what she was thinking since her black hair covered her eyes from view. Why did I even begin spilling my emotions out to her in the first place? We were somewhat alike, that's true. 'At least she can fly like the rest of the birds…'

My walk continued down the path until I stopped and saw a hooded man standing beneath the street lamp before me. He didn't move from his spot, but I knew what was to come. Soon, another man appeared underneath the lamp behind me. We stood in our spots for a moment, waiting for the other to move.

The man in front of me dashed towards me while producing a knife from his jacket. Jutting his weapon towards me I moved to the side while grabbing onto his wrist. Before I could disarm him the second man was upon me with a bat with wire wrapped around the end. We both ducked, but the man with the knife landed a punch which sent me stumbling backwards. On instinct I rolled to the side as the bat slammed into the stone next to me. I jumped forwards and rammed my shoulder into the larger man, but still this was enough to make him stumble backwards. The bat fell to the ground and I quickly picked it up and swung it at the attacker with the knife. Barbwire and wood met flesh, making a resounding crack. The knife wielding man fell to the ground with a scream, but his shouts stopped when I slammed the bat into his head as hard as I could. Not stopping my advance, I threw the bat at the other man who managed to dodge the attack. However on my way to engage him I grabbed the knife and went in for the killing blow. But what surprised me was that my charge was met by a kunai slung straight at me. Biting the inside of my cheek, I summoned a wind blade that deflected the kunai, much to the attackers' surprise. I plunged the knife into his neck, making him fall over in a gurgling mess.

Breathing in heavily, I sighed at the carnage around me, but then my instincts kicked into high gear. My eyes lit up into a purple hue as I glanced behind me to see a woman swinging a sword down onto me. On instinct a blade of wind deflected the sword and before she could recover I blinked beside her to deliver a blade of wind to the neck. Her head fell to the ground, making me stare down at the carnage around me. With everyone confirmed dead I went to work disposing of the bodies, unknowing that a pair of eyes disappeared into the night.

 **XxXxX**

"So you're Naruto I presume?" A man with shaded glasses asked as I approached the diplomatic group standing under the gate leading out of the village. The sun was just beginning to creep up over the edge of the horizon and there wasn't cloud in the sky.

'This must be Shibi Aburame. The Jonin tasked with protecting us.' I nodded my head with a large smile adorning my face. "That's me. You must be Shibi-sama?"

"Indeed I am, but please just Shibi."

"Sure thing." My eyes hovered over the three other people that stood behind Shibi. None of them wore shinobi garb, but cloaks that made them stand out as diplomats of the Land of Fire. A few of them looked at me with disdain for a reason that I could only imagine related to my heritage. It would seem that even officials as high up as this held anger towards my existence. "Are we going to walk?"

"Are you joking boy? Of course we aren't going to walk." One of the diplomats said in annoyance, making Shibi glance at him in confusion. Clearly the Jonin was unaware of the anger that some people felt towards a 'parasite' like myself. "We have a carriage on its way as we speak."

"Oh, well that's good…" I responded with a little less enthusiasm.

The man made an audible 'hmph' before shaking his head. "Walking. Some son of the Hokage you are." I frowned at his words, but remained quiet. My blood has been a topic of heated debate amongst the villagers since my birth. Like many things, people liked to argue over political and social things, but this was by far the most talked about subject in the village. Why people hated or liked me varied from person to person. Some saw me as a charity case and believed that the Hokage was only taking care of me because I was blood related. Others viewed me as a parasite that was latching onto the stainless image that they held of Minato and Yui. As for a normal person living within these walls, they saw me as the son of the Hokage and left it at that, but these voices are rarely heard amongst the more pronounced voices within the village. Indeed, it is often the silent majority that are left just like their title suggests.

Silent.

Shibi was clearly intrigued by the diplomats attitude towards me, but stayed silent as a horse drawn carriage approached us after appearing from one of the many streets leading into the plaza that served as Konoha's entrance. A chunin was sitting at the reins, but once the carriage was next to us he jumped off the wagon and bowed to Shibi. "It's all yours Shibi-sama." With that the man left to another mission or the like.

"Now that we're all here I'd like the three of you to introduce yourselves to our new guest." Shibi said in a toneless voice. The first diplomat that spoke made an audible 'hmph' before looking away from me.

"Kajime is my name and I'm the lead diplomat. Don't you _dare_ embarrass us in front of the parliament in the Land of Snow." Kajime said before stepping up into the carriage. He was a portly man who had brown hair and pale skin.

"And my name is Nao, the co-leader of this diplomatic mission. Be on your best behavior and we should return home before you know it." The only woman of the group said, but Nao was clearly agitated that I was here. Nao climbed up into the carriage and sat next to Kajime in the booth. The woman was older with black hair and purple eyes.

I sighed as the final member of the diplomatic team approached me, but to my surprise he held out his hand to me. "Hello Naruto-kun. I'm known as Shou to my compatriots. It's a pleasure to meet you." Shou said with a bright smile. The man was younger than the other two, maybe mid-twenties if I had to guess, with dark purple hair and teal eyes.

Grabbing ahold of his hand I nodded my head with a smile of my own. "The pleasure is mine." Shou nodded his head and climbed up into the carriage.

"If that's all then please take a seat inside the carriage and we should be on our way." Shibi said as he climbed up onto the front of the carriage and took the reins to the two horses. I glanced inside the fancy carriage and looked up to the seat next to Shibi.

"Mind if I ride up front with you? I'd prefer the fresh air while we travel." Shibi furrowed his brow at my question, but nodded his head as I climbed up to the seat next to him. "Thanks."

"It'd be more comfortable if you sat in the carriage. We won't reach the Land of Hot Springs for about ten hours." Shibi questioned as I strapped my backpack to the top of the carriage where the diplomat's luggage had already been prepared.

"All the more reason to see the world around me. Can't see much when I'm stuck inside now can I?" I asked as I plopped down next to the stoic man who simply shrugged at my words. "Besides, I'm sure the diplomats have plenty of planning to do and my presence would only be a distraction."

"If that's what you want." With that he beckoned the horses to pull us along and into the wilderness beyond the walls. We stayed silent for a long time as I placed a cheery outer persona onto my being to throw Shibi off. I was very happy that the stoic Aburame was the person that would escort us to the Land of Hot Springs. His silent nature was preferred to someone more… boisterous. About five hours had passed, and I was taking a short nap atop the carriage when Shibi finally spoke for the first time since we left.

"That's a very nice jacket and scarf that you have." I peered over to the shaded man, but he kept his eyes pointed forwards as we passed by the thick forests around us. My hood was down and the scarf lowered, but I would never leave home without these articles of clothing unless I had to. "But are you not hot underneath all those clothes?"

"About as warm as you are." I responded as I pulled slightly at my scarf. Shibi nodded his head in understanding, but I decided to voice this silent understanding. "These clothes make me feel comfortable when I'm out and about. Like I can steer away from the prying eyes of those that don't think highly of me." The diplomats was Shibi's first interaction with those that saw me in a negative light, but this was understandable. A clan head like him, who has never met me before mind you, would have never of heard of something so belittling as this. It was underneath him of someone of such high status, even if he doesn't feel that way.

Shibi nodded his head as the sound of horse hooves over took us once again. It wasn't too long after this that Kajime stuck his head out the window to say something. "You wouldn't mind if we stopped for some food, would you? The rest of us are growing rather hungry." Shibi nodded his head as looked around. All around us was thick woods as far as the eye could see, but Shibi knew this route very well and knew something was coming up.

"There's a dumpling shop coming up. Does that work?" Shibi asked. Kajime disappeared for a moment before sticking his head back out.

"That's perfect!" And true to his words, about ten minutes later a wooden house appeared with smoke flowing out of its chimney. Three wooden tables sat in the dirt in front of the building with four chairs surrounding each table. Shibi pulled the carriage over and strapped the horse to a wooden poll. "It feels good to stretch the legs!" The diplomats filed out of the carriage as I hopped off the front.

"Lets sit outside. We've been cramped in that carriage for the last five hours and could use some fresh air." Nao stated as the three diplomats sat down at one of the tables. "Shibi, please join us once you're done strapping down the horses! We'd love some of your impute on the meeting we're going to have in the Land of Snow."

The elder Aburame glanced to me, but I simply smiled and nodded my head for him to sit with the group. "I don't know how much help I would be…" Shibi said as he sat at the table.

"Nonsense! You're a Jonin so I'm sure…" I entered the building as the words left Kajime's mouth. A waiter passed by me as I entered the building and I found two more small tables inside said building. Deciding that this was as good a place as any I sat down at one of the tables and looked at the menu that was built into the wall above the door leading to the kitchen in the back. There wasn't anybody else here, save for the people that ran the business of course. As the waiter came back in with my companions orders he stopped by my table with notepad in hand.

"What would you like today?" The man asked as he flipped over a piece a paper on his notepad.

"A green tea and the pork dumplings." The man wrote down my order and was about to leave to the back room when a voice made itself known to us.

"I'll have the same as the kid!" I glanced over to the entrance of the building to see two figures walking in. They had straw hats that covered their faces and black cloaks with red clouds dotted across them. I furrowed a brow at the obviously taller and loud spoken man. He had a large bandaged item strapped to his back which looked extremely heavy.

The waiter nodded his head and looked to the shorter, more silent, cloaked man in question. "Just tea." He softly spoke as they moved towards me and sat at my table.

"Hey there sport. You're awfully young to be traveling around on your own." The larger man said as he tipped his hat upwards somewhat to reveal blue skin and a toothy grin. "You must be traveling with those diplomats outside if I had to take a guess." My eyes narrowed as I looked at the blue man. "Those are some dangerous eyes you have there. You're no normal kid, are you?"

"What do you want?" I asked, my persona completely disappearing. This made the blue man grin widely as he heard my cold tone take over. Clearly he knew he was right about his earlier assumption.

"Couldn't tell you myself. It was my companion that wanted to talk to someone from Konoha." The blue man said as he watched the waiter take the food and drinks out to the group sitting outside. I looked over to the quiet man sitting to my right and watched as he lifted his hat to greet his eyes with my own. Those cold onyx eyes… they closely resembled my own…

"There's been a rumor that I want verified." The black haired man said in a dead tone much like my own. "A girl by the name of Saya Uchiha has said to have been attacked not long ago. Is this true?"

"…" I stared at the man as I thought of the options before me, but eventually sighed. These men were extremely powerful and simply wanted know some common knowledge that happened within our village. True to his words the rumor of a mysterious man attacking the 'Last Uchiha' has spread throughout the village, even if my father didn't want it too. How it happened, I'm not sure, but it did. "That's what I've heard, yes. Rumor has it that someone by the name of 'Phantom of the Leaf' attacked her within the Uchiha Compound not long ago." The stoic man grew ten times colder as the words left my mouth, making me slightly scared for my own health as well.

The waiter came by and placed our food in front of us before leaving us to our own business. "Does anyone know why he did this?"

"No, but some people have said that he was hired by her older brother for some reason." Of course nobody has said this, but I wanted to see these people's reaction to my statements as I was beginning to learn of who these people were. "I don't know much because the Hokage has been keeping this rather quiet, but like all things information tends to find its way onto the lips of the people."

The man didn't respond at first. He simply remained quiet as he thought over the implications of what I had said. "I see. Thank you for your cooperation." The man took one last sip of his tea before standing. "Come. We're leaving." The blue skinned man look disappointed, but quickly ate the rest of his food before standing as well. "Waiter, please put his bill onto ours." Once the bill was paid for the black haired man bowed before leaving the building.

"You have a good taste for food kid. Next time we meet you should recommend something else to try." The blue skinned man said as he walked out of the building as well. Leaving me to myself and the still untouched food in front of me.

'That was strange.' I thought as I began eating my dumplings. 'But I did learn something rather… interesting today.' A smile played across my lips at the implications this could have in the future.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN:** So here's the next chapter of the story. I hope you all like it. Tell me what you all think and what pairings you want to see. Of course these won't come until later, but I have a few ideas. Again, it's either Naruto without one, with a single, or at most two. I won't go above two, and even that's a stretch for me, but I won't count it out yet.

I love you all and I hope you continue reading.


	6. Change of Hands

**XxXxX**

After my interesting conversation with the cloaked men we hopped back onto the carriage and continued on our trek towards the Land of Hot Springs. Shibi had briefly questioned me about my little conversation with the cloaked men, but I lied and told the elder Aburame that they were simply asking for directions. I'm not entirely sure if he believed me, but the clan head didn't push me further.

"So where exactly are we heading to in the Land of Hot Water?" I asked after waking up from a nap. I was currently laying atop the luggage on the top of the carriage.

"A large town nestled next to a hot spring near the center of the country. Hakone is the name of the town and that's where we'll be meeting the group that will be transporting you the remainder of the way to the Land of Snow." We must have entered the country because even now I could tell that a certain humidity could be felt in the air around us. If one looked closely into the forest around us a mist lingered in the air in the far distance.

"Another group?"

"Another Konoha team, yes." Shibi answered with a simple nod of his head. Deciding not to divulge further into this, I simply sat back and enjoyed the rest of the ride to Hakone. Before I could shut my eyes, however, another voice made itself known to me.

"Naruto? Are you up there?" It was Shou, the nicer diplomat. Popping my over the edge of the carriage, Shou nearly jumped back into the carriage with a heart attack. Clearly he wasn't expecting me to appear from the top of the carriage. "When did you get up there?!"

"What can I do you for Shou?" I asked after chuckling at his expense.

"Well we were wondering-."

" _You_ were wondering!" Kajime shouted from inside the carriage.

"Right, well I was wondering if you could help us with our diplomatic talks with the daimyō of the Land of Snow." I furrowed a brow at this, prompting him to go into further detail. "You're the son of the Lord Fourth, and because of this your voice has great political leverage when talking to foreign powers."

"But I'm just a kid. Why would anyone listen to me?" I asked.

"Because you're a blood relative of the Hokage, and beyond that he sent you on a diplomatic mission to _their_ lands. This shows that the Hokage holds a vast amount of trust in them that he's willing to place you in their care." Shou explained as he roughly climbed up on top of the carriage alongside me.

"I'm willing to help, but I wouldn't know the first thing to say. I know next to nothing when it comes to the customs of a political discussion between two powers." I responded, making Shou both surprised that I would think of this and impressed that I was curious about this aspect of the world.

"Well, let me teach you a thing or two about the world of foreign politics that your textbooks never went into detail on." Shou said as he began explaining the political climate of the world and how I, as son of the Hokage, should approach this aspect of the world. It was truly enlightening to hear about this world that Minato had tried so hard to shut me away from, but I suppose it was only a matter of time before I was exposed to the world outside the walls of Konoha.

Our conversation lasted for the remainder of the trip when we passed under a gate into the tourist town. Lights hung from between the buildings and people could be seen going about their business in the dusk of night. Shibi navigated us through the bustling streets of Hakone until finally we reached an inn that was nestled into a smaller side street. Once properly tied to one of the polls, Shibi glanced up at me as I helped Shou down. "You wouldn't mind passing down the luggage would you?"

"Sure thing Shibi." I responded as I untied the smaller sleeping luggage and began passing it down to the Jonin while the diplomats entered the inn.

"You must be the diplomats that we were tasked with escorting the remainder of the way to the Land of Snow." A woman said from the entrance of the inn. I ignored the voice as I passed down another bag to Shibi.

"And you must be the renowned Team 8 that we've heard so much about." Kajime responded.

"Ah, you're too kind. Please, let me introduce you to my team…" The woman went on to say, but I blocked them out as I finished passing the bags down to Shibi. Looking around for my own bag, I walked over some of the larger items on top of the carriage to reach my own. When I reached the other side I could hear the woman from before talking to Shibi. "It's been too long Shibi. How have you been?"

"Doing well Kurenai. How has my son and his teammates doing?" Shibi responded as I looked through my bag to see if everything was still in order.

"They've been exceptional. Although Kiba can sometimes-."

"So you must be Shino's old man!" Another voice exclaimed. "It's been a while!"

"Hello Kiba. And you too Hinata Hyuga." Shibi said as the remainder of Team 8 must have exited the inn. The girl must have bowed since she didn't respond. "Before I leave I must tell you of an assignment added onto your original mission."

"What else has been added?" Kurenai asked, surprised that something was included at the last minute.

"You are to protect…" Shibi began to say as I jumped down from the top carriage. "Naruto Namikazi during your mission in the Land of Snow." I looked at each of the people of Team 8 to get a full understanding of who was assigned to protect me.

"Namikazi? As in the Hokage's son?" Kurenai question in surprise as she looked me over.

"The Hokage had a son?! I thought the only kid he had was that loudmouth Yui!" Kiba exclaimed in shock. "What jutsu do you know? What style of taijutsu do you use? Do you like dogs?"

"Kiba." Shino finally said, making his boisterous teammate quiet down. "Quit being rude."

"Rude?! What do you-?!"

"The son of the Hokage couldn't become a shinobi because of medical reasons." Shino explained as I frowned and looked to the side.

"Glad to meet everyone…" I said before walking away from the group and into the inn. Hinata's eyes looking extremely saddened as well as she watched me disappear into the building.

"Good first meeting…" Kurenai said as she sighed before returning her attention to Shibi. "So why is Naruto accompanying us? This was supposed to be a simple C-Rank mission escorting the diplomats to the Land of Snow and back."

"Not sure, but it may have its diplomatic reasons. Just keep an eye out. If anything were to happen to him…" Shibi warned, making the Genin gulp in anticipation.

"So he really can't use chakra? Must be annoying living with the Hokage and a sister that would constantly rub it in his face." Kiba stated as he walked towards the inn with Hinata in tow.

"Bye father. Have a safe trip home." Shino said before walking towards the building as well.

"Is he anything like his sister?" Kurenai asked once the Genin were gone.

"Naruto's more like his father if that helps." Shibi said, making the crimson eyed woman grin.

"That's reassuring. Maybe he can help me keep my team in line." Shibi chuckled before walking down the street towards the main road of Hakone.

"Good luck." With those final words Shibi disappeared into the crowd of people.

"Kurenai-sama." A voice from behind the woman said, making her turn to see a blonde headed boy staring back at her.

"Ah, Naruto. Just the person I wanted to talk to." The crimson eyed woman said as she turned towards her new addition to the mission. "And please, just Kurenai."

"What did you need to speak to me about?" I asked, furrowing my brows in curiosity. I had dropped my backpack into one of the closets that I'd be staying in.

"I wanted to know the reason why you're accompanying us to the Land of Snow."

"So I can kill the daimyo of course."

"Oh, if that's all- what?!" Kurenai quickly looked at me in shock, only to hear chuckling coming from the boy.

"What, you thought I was serious?" Kurenai gave me a death glare as I waved her off. "Anyway, the real reason I'm coming along is because I wanted to get out of the village for a while, and since I would need a bodyguard I guess my father felt it best to send me along with you."

"So it was just by coincidence then?"

"I guess so." I responded as I shrugged my shoulders. We stayed quiet as we stared down the empty street that connected to the bustling main road that ran down the center of town.

"Hey Naruto. I was wondering-." Kurenai went to say.

"Kurenai! Would you and your team like to join us for dinner? We would very much like to hear of your team's adventures since becoming shinobi." Kaijme said from the door of the inn.

"I would love to, but you wouldn't mind if Naruto tagged along, wouldn't you?" Kurenai said with a smile.

"He can if he'd like, but I doubt he'd have much to share." The diplomat said in a slightly annoyed tone.

"Well I'm sure Naruto would love to-." Kurenai said, but when she turned to me I was already walking down the street.

"Have a pleasant dinner Kurenai, but I think I'd prefer to eat alone if that's fine." I said as I waved a hand over my shoulder. "I'll check in with you when I turn in for the night."

"Oh… well have a good night then." The jonin responded as the blonde headed boy disappeared into the crowd.

"Good riddance. He would have just dragged the conversation down." Kaijme said as he turned and began walking back into the inn. "Come along. Lets discuss where we'd like to eat." Kurenai was confused as to why the diplomat was so sour towards the young Namikaze, but followed Kaijme into the inn where the rest of her team and diplomats waited.

"So we're going out to eat with you three?" Kiba asked as they stood in a circle in the lobby of the inn.

"We'd like to hear of your exploits since becoming shinobi of the Leaf. If that's okay with you three." Nao said with a smile.

"Well we don't have much to tell since we've only recently graduated from the Academy." Kiba responded.

"Still, we'd like to learn about the people assigned to protect us." Shou said.

"I guess that makes sense…" Kiba nodded his head to affirm it within his own mind.

"Where's Naruto?" Hinata asked, making the smiles of two of the diplomat's falter somewhat. "Won't he be joining us tonight?"

"I believe he wanted to eat alone tonight if I remember correctly." Kaijme said with a dismissive voice. "If that is all lets look for a comfortable restaurant to eat at. We'll even cover the bill tonight."

"Wahoo! Looks like we're eating good tonight boy!" Kiba exclaimed as he scratched behind Akamaru's ear, who barked in excitement. Kaijme chuckled at this and exited the inn along with everyone else, but within the minds of the remainder of Team 8 they knew something was going on.

 **XxXxX**

I weaved through the dense crowd as I made my way towards my destination. Never touching a single a person, I finally found myself standing in front of a small dango shop that was tucked between a food market and an apartment building. Walking in I quickly noticed that the place was very packed. Packed being that the seven tables and nearly the entire bar had people seated in all the chairs. All except for one next to the wall. Slowly I moved through the store until I sat down in the only available space. A group of three kids about my age sat next to me and were bolstering on about how they graduated at the top of their shinobi class. Drowning out their conversation was easy enough, but my ears perked when I saw the waiter tending the bar standing before me.

"Hello sir. How may I help you?" She was a pretty brunette that was about five years older than I was, but something about her smile reminded it of my own.

"I was wondering if I could have the black dango please." I said with a smile that matched her own. The waitresses smile twitched somewhat as the words left my mouth.

"S-Sorry… I don't think I heard you correctly. Could you repeat your order?" She asked.

"Or course. I was wondering if I could-."

"How about you leave the poor girl alone." I glanced to my side to see one of the newly graduated shinobi staring me down. His two teammates I presume were looking very nervous at what their outspoken teammate was doing. The boy talking to me had dark gray eyes that matched his hair. "Can't you tell you're making her uncomfortable?"

"I'm just trying to order. What's wrong with-?" The boy stood from his stool and proceeded to pin me against the wall that I was sitting next to with his arm across my chest.

"I said to leave her alone. I'm a shinobi of the Yugakure so that means you have to do as I say." My smile slowly began to wear away as I looked into the arrogant boy's eyes. The store had gone virtually silent when this happened as everyone was now staring at us.

"It's okay, I just didn't hear his order over all the commotion. It's not a big deal." The waitress said, trying her best to defuse the situation, but the shinobi didn't hear her.

"Come on man. Leave the guy alone. This is just a misunderstanding." One of his teammates tried to say, but this got an audible 'hmph' from the gray haired shinobi.

"He was messing with my sister. And people that mess with my sister are going to-." He had looked over his shoulder for just a moment to talk to his teammate, but stopped when he felt the cold edge of metal against his throat. Slowly looking down, he saw a kunai pressed against his throat and a blonde with dead eyes staring back at him. His teammates were sweating bullets, but his sister surprisingly didn't look alarmed.

"Get your arm off me." I said with an emotionless voice. The shinobi quickly did so, but didn't move since I had a blade to his throat. "Good. Now take your kunai back." I dropped the blade and he caught it near his waist. "You're very good at taking orders. Now sit down and continue eating." The boy sat down and turned forwards without another word. With a nod I looked back to the waitress who had a plastic bag of black dango and a scroll sitting in front of my empty chair. "Thank you."

"Come back anytime!" The waitress said with a smile as I took the contents presented to me and left. Once out onto the street I picked up one of the three black dango sticks and bit into the tasty treat.

'Not bad.' I thought as I opened the scroll and walked down the street in a random direction. After reading the scroll I stopped and proceeded to walk in the opposite direction. I continued to munch on my food until I came upon a small apartment building. It was only two stories tall with a gate protecting the front lawn from anyone who didn't have a key. Taking another bite of my dango stick, I looked to my left and right to see if anyone was looking, but the busy street remained too busy for anyone to spare a boy like me a glance. As I chewed on my food I quickly climbed the fence and into the small lawn on the other side. With that I entered the apartment building and down the hall towards the back of the building. Taking another stick of dango out of the bag I stopped in front of the door that was listed in the scroll and knocked on the door. As I waited I kept eating, crashing noises could be heard from within. Quickly putting my hood over my head the door swiftly opened to reveal a very angry and dirty man staring at me.

"What the hell do you want?!" He shouted, but I simply continued chewing on my food. "Well?!"

"Is your name…" I looked at the scroll again just to make sure. "Shig Hirai?"

"Yeah, what of it?" Shig asked in annoyance, but I only nodded as I rolled up the scroll and placed it into my pocket.

"That's all I needed to know." I responded as I took another bite of my dango.

"Go to-!" Then a shimmer caught his eye and then there was a spray of blood. The man collapsed backwards into the room to reveal a shocked woman standing in the kitchen. She stared at the man for some time before glancing up to me, who simply stared back at her in silence.

"You actually…" She said, but before she could say anything else his head rolled away from his shoulders. The woman ran to the sink and proceeded to puke. I shrugged and placed the head into a bag. After this I went to leave, but stopped when the woman spoke again. "Thank you." I glanced at the woman, but she was still shaken from what had just happened. "He was very abusive and-."

"You live with the choices you make lady. Just don't make this a habit and don't thank me. We both know this isn't the right way to go about this." Her face saddened considerably, but I ignored this and left out the back of the building. Activating my Dark Vision, I stuck to the shadows and blinked to avoid detection until finally I arrived at the back of the dango shop I had just left. I slammed my fist against the door four times and after a moment the door opened to reveal the waitress from before. She still held that same smile, but when I dropped the bag in front of her the expression dropped to the emotionless visage that I currently held.

"That was fast." She said as she picked up the bag and accepted the scroll that I handed to her. "The contract gave you twelve hours to complete the mission."

"It's how I do things." In truth the only reason I could have killed him in such a blatant fashion was because the only person there to see it was the person that contracted me. Otherwise I would have gone about it differently. Taking the last bite of the dango, I flicked the stick away and held out my hand. The waitress placed a wallet of money into my hand, which I quickly stashed away into my cloak.

"So may I have a name for the completed contract?" The waitress asked. This was a requirement for all bounty boards throughout the elemental nations. Every completed bounty needed to have a name attached to it so bounty board keepers can record how well we do.

"'Phantom of the Leaf' or 'Phantom' for short. I've been put down for both." The waitress stared at me for a second before nodding. "So you've heard of me?"

"Most bounty keepers have. Never thought I'd see you all the way out here though." The waitress disposed of the bag somewhere inside the building before returning to the door. "All of your completed bounties have been inside Konoha."

"I'm surprised anyone has heard of me."

"Accepting a job to attack an Uchiha will do that for you." I frowned at this, but remained silent.

'This must be Danzo's doing…'

"Is Hakone going to be the Phantom's home for a while?"

"Unfortunately not, but it was a pleasure doing business with you." I said with a bow.

"The pleasure was mine Phantom." She said with a bow of her own. "If I knew it was you then I would have given you a tougher bounty."

"Maybe next time. Have a pleasant day, and tell your brother to lose the hot head. It will get him killed one day."

"Sure thing. Have a good night." After this I wandered out into the busy street and towards my inn where I intended to find a proper restaurant to eat at. The main reason I accepted a job from the local bounty board wasn't for monetary reasons, but to make a connection outside the walls of Konoha. Word will soon spread that I've accepted a job outside of the Land of Fire and people will be wondering where I will pop up next. I lifted the hood from my head and lowered my scarf as I entered a ramen stand that sat comfortably down a small alley. A man stood behind the bar as he cleaned the counter of any stray dirt or dust.

"How are we doing tonight?" The man asked with a jolly tone. He was larger, with black hair and brown eyes.

'Are all ramen chefs' happy people?' I thought as I sat down at one of the stools with a fake smile. The same one that I carried everywhere I go when I interact with people. "Doing great. Just thought I'd stop and get a bite to eat."

"Fantastic. The name's Toshi. What'll you have?" The man produced a pen and pad from his apron and leaned onto the counter.

"Naruto, and I'll take the pork ramen."

"And what of your girlfriend?" I heard an audible 'eep' from behind me as I glanced over my shoulder. Standing behind me was a very flustered Hyuga staring back at us.

"Get her the miso ramen." I said as I smiled back at my new guest.

"Sure thing champ. I'll get it right out." The man said with a wink before disappearing back into the shop.

"So, what do I owe the pleasure?" I asked as I turned back towards the counter, but she didn't move for a while making my sigh. I patted the stool next to me, urging her to come forwards. "I'm not going to bite you. Standing there just makes things awkward." Hinata jumped up onto the stool and continued to squirm while within my presence. 'Why is she so shy?'

"N-Naruto…" She finally began after some moments of silence passed between us.

"Hmm…?" I hummed back as I awaited her reason for coming and finding me.

"I j-just wanted to s-say…" I glanced over at the girl, and to my surprise Hyuga heir was bowing before me. "Sorry."

"Sorry? What for?" She looked up to me with saddened eyes.

"For what Kiba s-said. H-He didn't mean it. It's j-just sometimes he speaks without thinking." To her surprise however I responded with a chuckle and waved her off.

"Water under the bridge. It's no big deal, but now I have question for you." Hinata looked questioningly to me as I tapped my chin in fake thought. "Why do you stutter while you're around me?" Her face began to light up as I continued to think aloud. "I mean you don't stutter while you're around your teammates, but for some reason…"

"I've got to go!" Hinata suddenly shouted before jumping from the stool and away from the ramen stand. Just as she left Toshi burst out from the backroom with two bowls of ramen in his hands.

"And here we have a lover's bowl of-." He then noticed the stool where Hinata once sat and saw that it was still moving back and forth. "Where did the girl go?"

"No clue, but it's a good thing she left or she probably would have passed out from that comment." I replied as Toshi placed my pork ramen in front of me. I grabbed a pair of wooden chopsticks from the cup on the counter and thanked him for the food.

"Does that girl think she has a _secret_ crush on you or something?" Toshi asked as he grabbed another pair of chopsticks and began eating the miso ramen that was left behind.

"I guess, but I couldn't tell you why. I've only met her one time long before this, but whatever. If anything it's entertaining." I commented between slurps.

"Ah youth. How I miss it so." Toshi said with a wide grin. "You must have had a big impression on her if she's held onto that crush for this long." I shrugged my shoulders as I continued eating my ramen. "I can tell you've eaten ramen before."

"You can?"

"Sure can, and I can tell it was delicious. Where, if you don't mind me asking, is it you normally eat?"

"A place in Konoha named-."

"Ichiraku's, right?" I stared at the man for a while before nodding my head.

"How did you know?" There must be dozens of ramen stands in Konoha. So how did he…?

"Because I worked with that old fart. Is Teuchi still running that place?"

"Ayame is working there now too, but yeah the old man still runs the show." Toshi laughed aloud at this.

"That old fart would have ran it into the ground without her help. It's a good thing that Ayame decided to stick around then." He then looked to the ceiling as fond memories began flooding back from all those years ago. "I miss the old days when life was easier. When I woke up, worked with my pals, and went out drinking the night away."

"Why'd you leave?"

"Family issues, but you don't need to worry your little head over something like that." Toshi said as he grabbed our now empty bowls and placed them into the sink on the other side of the bar. "Tell you what, as memory for this night lets have a drink." A white bottle was placed in front of me with two saucers next to it.

"You know I'm underage." I said with a furrowed brow.

"And I'm overage. So what?" Toshi said as he poured both the saucers full before placing the cap back on top of the bottle. "But don't you worry. We'll only have one." I smiled as I picked up the small glass, making Toshi smile widely. "There you go boy! To friendship, and to youth!" We raised our glasses into the air and poured the liquor down our throats. The burning sensation ran down my body as I felt the first bite of alcohol reach my stomach. I nearly spit my drink up, making Toshi laugh at my obvious discomfort. "First drink?"

"Yeah." I responded as I placed the saucer down next to the white bottle, which Toshi quickly stashed away behind the counter.

"Glad I could be a part of it." Toshi then looked back and forth down the tiny alley and nodded his head. "Well I best be closing up. It's getting late and you should be getting home."

"Have a good night Toshi." I said as I jumped down from the stool while leaving enough money behind for the two bowls of ramen.

"You too, Naruto-kun." I stopped in my tracks and looked over my shoulder to see that Toshi had already disappeared into the back room. I stared at the empty ramen stand for a few moments longer before walking down the alleyway and into the bustling main street of Hakone.

'Something isn't right…' I thought as I moved through the dense crowd and towards the inn. The burning in my stomach was flaring up and my vision was beginning to grow ever more misty. 'Was I drugged?' I nearly fell over, but was caught by a stranger.

"Are you okay?" I looked up and through my hazy eyes I could see a woman with long black hair and golden eyes staring back at me with concern, but beneath that concern was… "You don't look so good. Please, let me-."

"Naruto, is that you?" With my ever dimming eyes, I looked over to see Kiba and Shino approaching us. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Are you this boy's friends?" The woman asked, but Akamaru began barking with anger in his voice.

"Quiet boy. Not really, but we know him. Is everything okay?" Kiba asked as he eyed the woman in confusion, but Shino was already at my side lifting me up.

"Thank you for helping him, but we should be able to take it from here." Shino said as he lifted one of my arms over his shoulder and began walking away. I looked back at the woman, but I could barely make out her face. While she looked concerned, she also looked… annoyed?

"Please make sure he's taken care of. He doesn't look so good." With that we disappeared into the crowd of people and quickly found ourselves on the quiet street leading towards the inn.

"Are you drunk or something?" Kiba asked as he looked me over, but the burning was only intensifying as we neared the inn. I remained silent as I tried to cage this pain from growing any further. "Because you look like you're about to puke or something."

Puke! Of course! "Shino, give me a moment." The silent boy looked questionably to me, but once he released me I quickly ran to the nearest garbage can and shot my finger into my mouth. And then the obvious happened. I puked, and puked, and puked some more until as much of the drug had been expelled from my body.

"Holy… what in the hell?!" Kiba exclaimed as he watched me puke into the dumpster, but Shino simply watched in silence. Once done, I leaned against the green garbage can as the remnants of the drug that had already been absorbed into my body fought against my immune system, but it was a losing battle for the drug as I could feel the burning sensation begin to disappear. I knew it was a drug because I've been introduced to it before during my training with Danzo's ANBU. It was meant to burn my stomach and make me pass out from internal pain and nausea. "You must have ate something really bad if you threw up like that. Should have come out to eat with us."

"Whatever…" I said as I lifted myself from the garbage can and continued on down the street towards the inn.

"What's his problem?" Kiba asked to nobody in particular as he followed the blonde towards the inn. Akamaru whined at his master's words as Shino simply stared on in silence.

'Was it really something he ate?' Shino thought as he ran to catch up to us. 'He pushed his finger into his mouth, meaning he forced himself to puke.'

I walked down the hallway and knocked on the door to the room across from the one I put my stuff in. "Hello?" Kurenai answered from inside the room.

"I'm here." I responded as the door opened to reveal the Jonin in her normal attire.

"Ah, Naruto. Have a good time? I sent Kiba and Shino to look for you. We're getting up bright and early so I wanted everyone in at a decent time." Before I could respond Kiba barged into the conversation.

"Sure he did, if it wasn't for all that puking he did just a minute ago." Kiba commented while he passed by us and into the room Shino, Kiba, and I were sharing.

"Puking? Are you okay?" Hinata asked as she approached us.

"I'm fine. Just something I ate is all." I said, trying to calm them down from my potential drugging. If they knew about this then they'd escort me back to Konoha in a flash. Meaning my mission would be a failure, and I don't fail missions.

"Are you sure? Do you need to see a doctor before we leave?" Kurenai asked, making me frown.

"Look, I'm fine. I just need to sleep it off so worry about the diplomats. I'm just tagging along for the ride." I said as I moved towards our room.

"If you need anything just-." The door closed as she spoke, making her frown. "knock…"

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Hinata asked as she looked at the closed door in worry.

"Don't worry about Naruto. He'll be fine. Just a little bit of food poisoning is probably all it was." Kurenai said with a smile, but as Shino passed his mind wandered. Why did he force himself to puke like that? Was it to possibly expel the food poisoning faster? Still unsure as to what was going on, the silent boy opened the door to their room to see me sitting on my bed reading a scroll. Kiba was laying on his own bed, but Akamaru was sitting to my side staring at me. It was as if he was confused about something.

I glanced to my right and furrowed a brow at the curious pup. "You okay?" Akamaru softly barked as he continued to stare at me.

"Leave him alone Akamaru. He probably doesn't like dogs anyway." Kiba said as he turned onto his side and away from us. I shot a glare at Kiba before returning my gaze to the small dog before me, who was still staring at me. The dog must have been gauging who exactly I was, and if I could be trusted.

"Just for the record I don't dislike dogs." I stated as I took off my scarf and placed it next to my pillow, Akamaru watching me as I did this. "In fact, about a year ago I stopped a dog from being beaten in an alleyway close to my school." Akamaru's eyes lit up as he listened to my tale. "It was after school had been let out, but I had to stay late to help clean up the classroom. When I left the campus I heard some people shouting from down a tight little alleyway." I smiled softly as I scratched the back of my head. "Now normally I would have avoided this, but then I heard something. Do you know what it was?" Akamaru could only stare on as I looked to the ceiling. "A whimper… from a dog. Something in me burned inside when I heard that noise. I entered the alleyway to see two guys kicking and pushing this… little golden dog. She must have been only a few months older than you. I don't know what came over me, but I shoved the two guys into the wall and took off with the golden pup in my arms." I frowned as I ran through the memory in my mind once again. "She looked so small. So hurt. I quickly took her to the closest place that I knew could take care of her. Do you know where it was that I took her?"

"The Inuzuka compound." I looked up to see Kiba staring at me as well. "I remember when it happened, but I had no idea it was you who brought her to us. Her name's Emi for 'beautiful blessing' because it was a blessing she even lived."

"So she lived. That's good to hear." I responded with a smile. A real smile. One that I hadn't worn since my training.

"Emi is currently training to be a ninken, but she's always looking at the gate in anticipation." Kiba sighed as he remembered his mother training with the golden. "I guess she's waiting for the person that saved her to return someday."

"She'll forget about me when she's paired up with another shinobi and living a happy life as a ninken. I'm just happy I could help." I said, but then I felt fur underneath my hand. Looking down Akamaru had pushed his head into my hand in an effort to show his gratitude for saving one of his friends.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that." Kiba said, as he got comfortable under his sheets. "Dogs don't tend to forget the things that are important to them."

"How would she even remember me? I didn't even think she was conscious."

"Your scent. If there's one thing dogs don't forget it's the smell of others. Especially the ones they deem close." Kiba then closed his eyes in an attempt to sleep. "You should stop by the compound sometime. I'm sure she'd love to see you again."

I smiled sadly as I continued petting the puppy next to me. 'I doubt that's a good idea. Not after all the horrible things I've done. Dragging another innocent into this hell, even if it's a dog, wouldn't be a good idea.'

"Maybe…" I responded as I fell into my bed as Akamaru returned to his master's side. 'But having a ninken here on my mission may make the assassination a little more complicated. Hmm…'

 **XxXxX**

"Rise and shine boys! We're about to leave!" Kurenai shouted through the door of our room, but I was already up and ready to go. Looking over to my companions, I saw that Akamaru was the only one awake with Shino and Kiba begrudgingly still getting up. As I moved to the door I found that the small dog had followed me out into the hallway.

"Want to come along?" I asked, to which the pup barked with enthusiasm.

"I see you found a new friend." Kurenai said as we moved into the main lobby of the inn.

"Looks like it." I stated, but Akamaru barked to show that he did enjoy being around me. Kurenai chuckled at the sight, but then turned to see the diplomats appearing from a separate hallway.

"How was the rooms?" Kurenai asked.

"Acceptable." Kaijme said, but when he saw me he simply nodded his head and walked outside, followed closely by the other diplomats.

"Is there a problem between you two?" Kurenai asked, but I shrugged my shoulders. Akamaru, however, was lightly growling at the man.

"Nothing for you to worry about. Just a little disagreement is all." I responded as I configured my backpack so it was a little more comfortable on my back.

"If you say so." Kurenai replied as I moved towards the door leading to the carriage.

"I'll start packing their luggage on top of the carriage while you wait for your Genin team."

"You don't have to worry about that. I'll have Shino and Kiba do it when they arrive."

"It's fine. It's something to do while we wait." With that I exited the inn to find a pile of luggage sitting next to the carriage and the trio of diplomats sitting inside said carriage. "Guess we better get started, huh?" Akamaru barked as I moved towards the large pile of bags and packs. It took me about thirty minutes before everything was atop the carriage and secured so nothing would fall off while we traversed the countryside.

"You know you could have waited." Kiba said as I glanced down at Team 8 as they approached the carriage. "We would have helped you."

"You have enough to worry about with protecting both the diplomats and myself. It's the least I could do." I replied as I sat down onto the edge of the carriage, but my motion shook said carriage when I fell.

"Could you not shake the carriage you little brat?!" Kaijme shouted from inside the carriage.

"Sorry Kaijme-sama. It won't happen again." I responded as I climbed to the front so I wouldn't disturb them. Team 8 looked to each other in confusion, but I waved it off. "Remember, my problems not yours."

"Okay…" Kurenai said as she watched me untie the horses from the wooden bar that they had been strung to the night before. "Okay team, I want you to form formation Charlie. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am!" The three Genin shouted in unison and jumped to their appropriate positions around the carriage. This being Hinata to our right, Kiba to our left, and Shino taking up the rear. Kurenai climbed up to take the rein's while I sat next to her.

"Sitting outside?" Kurenai asked once the carriage began moving down the fairly quiet main street. It was so early in the morning that the only ones up were the people opening their stores and preparing for another busy day. The sun was just beginning to peek its orange head over the horizon and push away the morning mist that blanketed the air.

"What can I say? I enjoy being outside rather stuck inside a wooden carriage." I responded.

"You know, it would be safer for you to be inside." Kurenai stated as a group of middle schoolers ran past us.

"Going to stuff me inside with them?" I questioned as I leaned back against the wooden seat. Kurenai didn't respond, but she silently confirmed my thoughts. "How long are we going to be on the road?"

"It should take us about ten hours until we reach Kazahana Castle. Once we reach the castle diplomatic talks will commence tomorrow." Kurenai stated as we left the city limits of Hakone and out into the densely wooded road that led north towards the port town that would provide a ferry to the Land of Snow. "And it looks like you're dressed appropriately for the occasion."

"That I did. Did the diplomats tell you what their talks will be about?" I asked, to which Kurenai nodded her head.

"They are to renew our Open Boarder Treaty and discuss possible changes to our current Trade Pact." Kurenai said, but then she looked to me with a glint in her eye. "And you're supposed to be a part of it?"

"Sort of. Shou said that he simply wanted me there as a sort of sign of trust." Kurenai looked at me, slightly shocked at my level of maturity when it came to this matter, but I ignored her. "I was told what my part would be when I was sent along on this little mission so I'm aware of my purpose."

"So you're here just to help the diplomats?" Kiba asked from beside the carriage.

"Sort of, but in reality I just wanted to get out of the village for a while. See the world and all that happy stuff." I replied as I shrugged my shoulders. "At this point I'll take what I can get."

"I hear you. This is the first time I've been out of the village in a long time too." Kiba replied, to which Akamaru barked in agreement. It would seem that Kiba was beginning to respect me a little more after he learned that I was the one that saved Emi.

"Um… Naruto?" I looked to my right to see Hinata playing with the bottom of her jacket.

"Yes?"

"I know this can s-sound… weird, but what do you n-normally do?"

"What do you mean?"

"I think she's trying to ask what a normal day entails for the son of the Hokage." Kurenai stated, but when the words left her mouth only the death of others flashed before my eyes. I wonder how many people I've killed since accepting Danzo's training?

"Just normal stuff I guess." I replied, returning to my 'normal' visage. It hurt to constantly keep it up, but this was the ultimate test. To see how long I could fake this alternate ego without anyone catching on. Yui has seen this cold side of me, but she thinks I'm angry with her and that's the cause of this cold side. In reality it's something so much worse…

"Well normal for us can be very different your version of normal." Kurenai responded, making me sigh at that comment.

'I guess it is vastly different than my own. Our worlds are just too different I suppose.'

"I go to school. Study for tests. Practice martial arts. Then I-." I started to say.

"Wait! You can fight?!" Kiba exclaimed, making me look over Kurenai to the dog boy in confusion.

"I mean, I can protect myself if people threaten me and stuff. Why?"

"I just thought since you're the son of the Hokage that people wouldn't mess with you and all." Kiba stated with a shrug. Making me sit back against the seat with a heavy sigh.

"If only life was that simple…" I muttered out as I closed my eyes. Kurenai unfortunately heard my words, but decided not to comment.

We all have our problems, and not everyone is willing to share them to people they just met.

 **XxXxX**

"Naruto." I shook from my slumber. Rolling slightly from atop the luggage as I went to open my eyes. "Naruto!" My eyes shot open once I heard the urgency in the voice of the Jonin.

"What?" I asked in an equally hushed tone, but I could see the woman's eyes dart to and fro in an uneasy way. A brisk chill tugged at us from the air and a light overcast blocked out the blue sky. We were nearing the border to the Land of Frost if I had to guess. A port sat on the northern edge of the Land of Hot Water which held the ship that would ferry us across the waters to the island nation of Snow. It was Yugakure's only northern port and it sat uneasily between the Land's of Frost and Rice.

"Akamaru smells something off about this place and Hinata can see several people in the forest around us. They look to be preparing an attack." Kurenai whispered as they continued to pretend that they had no idea we were quickly being surrounded. "I need you to get inside the carriage and-." Before she could finish her sentence I caught of shimmer of light out of the corner of my eye. I jumped backwards just as an arrow slipped past my face and fell off the back of the carriage. "Naruto!"

"Naruto are you okay?" Shino quickly asked as he was by my side in less than a second.

"I'm fine, but-." A loud chorus of shouts could be heard from all around us as bandits sprang from the thick vegetation.

"Sensei! There's at least thirty of them!" Hinata shouted as she jumped in front of one of the doors while Kiba did the same on the other side.

"Kiba, Hinata! Make sure nobody gets inside that carriage! Shino, protect Naruto! I'll take care of these bandits!" Kurenai shouted as she jumped down and towards some of the bandits on Hinata's side.

"Stay with me Naruto." Shino said as he stood in front of me as one of the bandits dashed towards us. The shaded boy held out his hands towards the man and a torrent of bugs sprang forth. Black bugs covered the his body as he screamed and fell to the ground. My normal visage began to drop slightly as I watched the fighting around me. I could help them with my powers, but then it would threaten my mission and my cover overall. Still, if the Leaf shinobi lost then my mission would become much more… difficult. I glanced to my left to see Hinata and Kurenai engaged with a large group of bandits. In front of me three more bandits stood at parody with Shino and to my right…

"Akamaru!" Kiba shouted as the pup was kicked away from the Inuzuka and towards another bandit. The man laughed as he approached the dog as Kiba fought against at least seven bandits. He couldn't leave his post or the men would have access to the carriage, but then there was his partner…

"Is this your dog? Looks like I'm going to have to teach him a lesson." The man grinned as he pulled out a knife as he neared the beaten dog. Just as he was about to plunge the dagger into Akamaru a foot was swiftly smashed into the side of his face. The bandit stumbled backwards as he gripped onto his face in pain. "Who in the hell?!" He looked in the direction that the blow had come from to see me standing in front of the dog. "You're going to pay for that!" He charged towards me, but as he brought his knife down onto me I quickly parried the swipe while smashing my knee into his gut. As he staggered backwards once more I went to kick his jaw as I flipped backwards. The bandit saw this and tried to dodge, but my foot still connected with the handle of his knife and sent it flying into the air. Without a weapon the man sent a punch towards me which I dodged before sending my own punch towards him who blocked. "You know you're pretty good for a kid."

I then went for a quick swipe of the legs, but the man jumped backwards to dodge the strike. "Nice try, but-!" It was then that he stood surprised as I caught the knife and swiftly cut him across the chest. He staggered backwards, gripping the now dripping wound as I slowly walked towards him. Adrenaline surged through his body as anger and rage appeared in his eyes. "I'll kill you!" He charged towards me, but there was so many openings that all I needed to do was choose one. Ducking underneath his punch I plunged the knife into his shoulder while simultaneously cracking my elbow against the side of his head to knock him out. I stood up and glanced down at the knocked out man with blood dripping from my fingertips and knuckles. He shouldn't be dead, but he definitely needed to see a doctor if he wanted to live for long.

A bark drew my attention away from the beaten man and back to the downed dog. Walking towards the wounded dog I wiped my hand on some stray grass and coursed my fingers through his soft fur. "You okay little fella?" Akamaru whimpered as I looked over to see Shino supporting Kiba against four of the bandits. 'Shino must have watched me beat that bandit and decided that supporting Kiba was more important. Smart.' A loud slam could be heard against the other side of the carriage. A slam so heavy that it shook the carriage to and fro.

"Sensei!" I heard Hinata shout in panic.

"Stay here and rest. I'll see what's going on." I softly said, but Akamaru barked something and pointed his snout in the direction of the road that we had come from. I brushed my hand across his fur and nodded my head to the pup before walking towards the other side of the carriage. Leaning against the side of the carriage was a beaten Hinata holding onto her shoulder with several scruff marks across her body. In front of her was ten of the bandits, two of which had Kurenai restrained against the ground. 'How did she lose to a bunch of-?' I began to wonder, then then I saw it. A man wearing a brown Jonin jacket with a slashed out Iwa symbol across it. He was tall with brown hair and teal eyes. 'Oh… there's a Jonin. He must have surprised her or something.'

"Naruto! They captured Kurenai-sensei!" Hinata said with panic in her voice.

"…" I stared the man down as he looked to me with a grin across his face.

"When I heard a Konoha diplomatic team was traveling through the area I knew that, to the right people, their heads could catch a pretty penny if sold to the right person!" The nukenin said with a grin.

'Not very much though… every major shinobi village wouldn't come near a diplomatic team on a mission to another village. Meaning he must be looking to sell them to a private corporation or individual. Even then they wouldn't offer much because of the possible backlash of the villages. He must be very desperate…'

"If it means letting these shinobi and diplomats go I can make you an even better offer than the small amount of money that you'd get for some diplomatic team." I stated as I approached the obvious leader of the group.

"Oh? And what can a kid like you offer me in their stead?" The jonin asked.

"Based on your jacket you've heard of the fourth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, correct?" The man's eyes turned from cockiness to pure anger.

"And who hasn't? That bastard killed my brother during the war. What of it?" The man said with venom in his voice.

"And you've heard that he has two children, correct?" It was then Kurenai knew what I was playing at. Even Hinata looked shocked at what I was doing.

"Get on with it! Why are you bringing this up now?!" The nukenin shouted in annoyance.

"Because what if I told you that I could give you one of his children. Wouldn't that be a much better bargaining tool than a few diplomats?" The man's eyes lit up once he heard those words. "We both know that diplomats are the worst bargaining tool there is. But the son of the Hokage… I'm sure there's several villages out there that would love to get their hands on him."

"Naruto don't! You don't have to-!" Kurenai went to say, but one of the bandit's quickly silenced her.

"And you can assure me one of his children?" I nodded my head as he looked at me suspiciously. As Kiba, with Akamaru in his arms, and Shino rounded the corner of the carriage to see what was going on. "How?"

"Naruto! Don't do this!" Hinata shouted in desperation.

"Because Naruto Namikaze is standing right in front of you." I bowed deeply to the man as he looked at me shock.

"You're… the Flash's son?" I nodded my head as a maddening grin appeared across his face. The Iwa nukenin slowly approached me as I stared back with cold eyes. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment."

"…"

"I can finally truly hurt that Hokage of yours. Make him feel the same pain as everyone else that died during the war because I'm not going to sell you right after we capture you. No, no, no I'm going to torture you until you're begging to die at my hands. And then, and only then, am I going to sell you to the highest bidder that will put you through the same hell that I put you though." He caressed his hand down my cheek as he imagined all the horrible things that he would do to me. Team 8 stared at the man in shock after hearing his monologue. Did he hate their Hokage that much…?

"Then so be it, but it looks like your revenge will have to wait." I replied, making the maddening man look at me in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" The Iwa nukenin asked, but then a sword was placed against his throat. Behind him the bandits all lay knocked out on the ground with several shinobi standing over them. All the shinobi wore Jonin jackets with headbands that marked them as shinobi of Yugakure. "You little… you planned this didn't you?"

"…" I only stared back as the sword neared his throat.

"Stand down and let yourself be captured nukenin." The Yugakure shinobi said. The Iwa nukenin didn't move at first. He simply stared me down as he thought of what to do next. "Don't do it." In the nukenin's hand was a kunai, but his hand was trembling as he struggled to not attack me.

"I was so close…" He said as his maddening eyes began to morph into sadness. "I nearly avenged my brothers and sisters that died on the battlefield. Damn it…" The kunai dropped from his hand, and as the weapon dropped the nukenin was quickly detained. "Damn it…"

"You are to remain silent until told otherwise. You are…" The Yugakure shinobi began saying as he and another shinobi began escorting him away as other shinobi did the same with the bandits that were either knocked out or detained.

"Are you okay Naruto?" Hinata asked as she approached me and began looking me over, but then she looked into my eyes. She stopped, and just for a moment she caught a glimpse of the deep darkness that they held. "N-Naruto…?"

"Yeah… I'm fine." I responded as my cold eyes disappeared and in their place was exhaustion. "Just tired is all."

"Thanks." I looked over my shoulder to see Kiba with Akamaru in his arms. The pup looked beaten, but definitely not out. "For saving him." I scratched Akamaru's ear, and the pup leaned into my touch.

"Don't worry about it." I then looked to Shino, who nodded his head in silent appreciation.

"Is everyone alright?" Kurenai asked as she approached us. Like Hinata and Akamaru, she looked beaten, but certainly wasn't severely damaged. It would seem that the Jonin caught her by surprise and restrained her before the Leaf Jonin took any serious damage. We all nodded, to which she sighed in relief. "Good to hear. I'm going to check up on the diplomats and see how they're doing."

"You, blondie." I glanced over to see one of the Yugakure Jonin calling me over.

"…?" I walked over and looked at her questioningly.

"You did a good job distracting him until we got here. We were warned of possible bandit activity in this sector, but when a nukenin got involved our search intensified. In any case we'll be taking care of these bandits and the nukenin will be delivered to an Iwa Hunter-nin as soon as we can contact them. Thank you for Konoha's assistance in this matter." She then bowed and followed her fellow shinobi down the path leading towards Hakone.

"By the way, how did you know they were coming anyway? It's not like you have any sensor abilities." Kiba asked once I returned to the Genin. I then pointed to the dog in his arms, making him look at me in confusion. "Akamaru?" I nodded my head, but still he looked confused. "How could you tell what he said?"

"I didn't understand him. I just… trusted him I guess…" I shrugged my shoulders. "Couldn't tell you exactly, but that's all there is to it." Kiba simply stared at me with a small amount of shock in his eyes. "What?"

"N-Naruto… are you really okay?" I looked to the Hyuga to see worry in her eyes. She must have seen beneath my mask for a brief moment… "The things he said were… terrifying."

"I'm fine Hinata. Thanks for worrying." I replied with a smile, comforting her somewhat.

"Looks like the diplomats are all safe. Good job distracting the nukenin until reinforcements arrived." Kurenai said as she approached us. "We're about thirty minutes from the port that holds our ferry. Once we reach the Land of Snow it's another two hours until we reach Kazahana Castle. Are you okay Hinata? That was a nasty punch you took."

"I-I'm fine." She smiled, but she was gripping her shoulder with her free hand.

"You take it easy in the carriage Hinata. That's an order. Kiba, how's Akamaru?" Kurenai asked as she glanced to the dog in his arms.

"Roughed up, but he'll be fine with some rest." Kiba responded as kept petting his ninken.

"Good to hear because Shino and yourself are going to have to take up position around the carriage since Hinata is out of action. Do you need someone to watch Akamaru for you?" Kurenai asked as we moved towards carriage.

"I can take care of him since I'm going to be in the carriage. It's the least I can do since I can't help." Hinata stated with a smile.

"That would be great! Thanks Hinata." Kiba said as he handed Akamaru over to Hinata as I opened the door to let Hinata climb in.

"Are you hurt Hyuga-san?" I heard Nao say as a pair of hands helped Hinata into the cart.

"I'm fine, just need some rest is all." Hinata said as I closed the door to give them some privacy.

"Naruto, I know this may sound out of place, but can you navigate a carriage? With Hinata out for the moment we need an extra person to cover us." Kurenai said as I climbed up to take the reins to the two horses.

"Leave it to me." I responded as I picked up the leather straps.

"Okay, Shino take the rear. Kiba, the right. I'll cover the left." Once they were all in position Kurenai turned forwards, proud of how her team handled the situation. "Alright Team 8, move out!"

 **XxXxX**

 **AN:** And here's the next chapter. I hope you all like it because I'm having a blast writing this story. Let me know what you all think!

And, of course, I love every one of you!


	7. Winter's Warmth

**XxXxX**

Just as Kurenai said, it took us another two and a half hours to reach Kazahana Castle by land and about an hour by sea, but once we crossed the waters via ferry and landed on a small port town, a light snow began to fall from the skies above. I pulled the scarf further up to cover my nose and ears from the brisk cold that now pushed against us while Kiba, Shino, and Kurenai all brandished heavy tan cloaks. The castle itself was surrounded by snow peaked mountains and dense woods. Its walls stood high with the entrance being a single slope leading to a thick wooden gate. There were several layers to the castle, with the top containing a large tower that overlooked both the castle and the mountain valley around it.

"It's beautiful." I heard Kurenai say as we neared the slope leading up to the gate. She must have never been here before like the rest of us. Our group moved up the slope until coming to a stop in front of the gate. Two shinobi appeared before us wearing clothing that indicated them as warriors of the Snow.

"What business do you have with Lord Kazahana?" One of the shinobi asked. He wore a strange looking armor that looked far more advanced than what I would expect from a small nation such as this. To which Kurenai approached holding a piece of paper.

"We are the envoys from Konoha." Kurenai explained as the man looked over the sheet of paper that was handed to him. "We're set to arrive around this time."

"Everything looks to be in order." The shinobi said before handing the paper back to Kurenai. "Open the gate!" Just as the words left his mouth the massive doors slowly opened. "If you'd follow me I'll guide you to your quarters."

"Thank you." Kurenai replied as we moved into the castle. A long street surrounded the lowermost layer of the castle where a small town could be seen inside the gates. This was where most of the merchants, smiths, and other people lived that couldn't afford the housing in the upper portions of the castle. The people went about their day as per normal, but we got many strange or curious looks from the populace as we made our way to the slope that led up to the middle area of the castle town. The gate was already open as we pushed ourselves into the diplomatic sector. Housing and other official buildings could be seen built into the walls, to which many higher officials could be seen going about their business.

"This is where you'll be staying during your visit." The Snow shinobi stated. We were looking at a three story building that sat close to the sloped gate that led up to the final portion of the castle which presumably housed the daimyō. "If you need anything at all please do not refrain from asking the clerk at the desk. Enjoy your stay."

We watched as the shinobi walked away to return to his post, but then three men simultaneously walked out of the hotel with wide smiles. "You must be the group from Konoha!"

"Yes, we are." Kaijme said as he opened the door and exited the carriage. "Could you have gone any slower you brat?!" I frowned as I began unstrapping the luggage.

"You need not worry about that mister. We'll take care of the luggage." One of the men said with a deep bow, mimicked closely by the other butlers. "Please head inside where the clerk will give you the key to your separate rooms."

"Thank you young man." Nao said as she passed by with a pleased looking Shou following closely behind. Hinata then exited the carriage with a now invigorated Akamaru in her arms.

"Hey there boy! You feeling better?" Kiba asked as the puppy jumped into his arms. He barked in delight that he was reunited with his master once again.

"Feeling better?" Kurenai asked Hinata, who weakly smiled. She looked to me and a sadness overtook her, but also a look of… understanding?

"Well lets get inside and out of this cold. No need to catch a cold out in this snow." Kurenai said as we moved into the hotel where a clerk awaited with a smile.

"You must be the diplomat's escort. My name is Riza and I'm the clerk of this hotel." The woman said. She had dirty blonde hair with dark green eyes. Riza must be about Kurenai's age if not a little younger if I had to guess.

"Nice to meet you Riza. My name is Kurenai and this is Kiba, Shino, Hinata, and Naruto." Kurenai said as she pointed to each of us.

"Nice to meet each of you. Your rooms will be on the ground floor of hotel, but Lord Namikaze will not be staying here during your stay." Riza said, to which the group looked confused.

"What do you mean? He's under our protection so we need to stay near him." Kurenai asked with a defensive tone.

"Lord Namikaze will be staying in the noble house of Kazahana." Riza explained as the diplomats entered the room. "Now if you'd please follow our guide. I'm sure Lord Kazahana would love to meet you as soon as possible." I looked over my shoulder to see one of the butlers from before standing by the door with my backpack over his shoulder.

"This way if you'd please." The man said with a bow before walking back out into the snow. We moved out into the snow and followed the man up the slope.

"Naruto." I turned my attention to Kurenai, who was looking more concerned than normal. "I don't like the idea of you staying away from us."

"It's part of their customs for the blood relative of a foreign village to stay within the current ruling daimyō's residence." Shou explained as he walked up next to me. "You need not worry. Lord Kazahana will take very good care of you."

"There's also another reason I'm staying in their personal quarters." I said, making Team 8 look to me in curiosity. "In a way they'll be holding me hostage while active shinobi stay within their walls."

"Hostage?! What are you saying?!" Kiba shouted in anger, but Shou lifted his hands in an attempt to calm the boy.

"Hostage is a very strong term, but in a way yes. That is what is happening. It's an insurance policy in case any of you take up arms against them from within the walls." Shou continued to explain.

"But we would never do anything like that…" Hinata said softly.

"Of course you wouldn't, but that doesn't mean others would turn down the opportunity." Shou said as we entered through the doors of the castle to see a large room with pure white marble floors and pillars that stretched to the massive ceiling. Several doors led off into different parts of the castle, but by comparison the doors looks miniscule compared to sheer size of the room. Fabulous paintings lined the walls; all painted by people within the county and illustrating the frozen countryside that made up the Land of Snow.

"Why hello there! You are the diligent from Konoha I presume?" A man said as he walked around the corner from one of the pillars, followed closely by another man that was slightly taller. "My name is Sōsetsu Kazahana and I'm the daimyō of the Land of Snow." Sōsetsu had long, receding black hair and large black eyes with a pair of circular-framed glasses sitting on the bridge of nose. His expression showed that he was a generally good natured man, if his smile proved to be sincere. "And this is my brother Dotō Kazahana." Dotō was very muscular compared to the daimyo, but carried a very serious aura about him. His long black hair mirrored his brother's somewhat, but his face was very pronounced. Dotō nodded his head while keeping his serious visage about him.

'There's my target…' I thought as I watched the man introduce himself.

"Nice to meet you Lord Kazahana. I'm Kajime, and these are my companions Nao and Shou." Kajime said with a bow, which was mirrored by the other diplomats.

"Oh my. Please, just call me Sōsetsu." The daimyō said in embarrassment. His eyes then turned to me and smiled even brighter. "And you must be Minato's son. A pleasure to meet you my boy. I can see the resemblance!"

"Thank you Lord Kazahana. The pleasure is mine." I responded as I bowed deeply just as Shou instructed.

"Please call me Sōsetsu. It's weird being called lord over and over again." Sōsetsu said. "Then the rest of you must be the shinobi tasked with guarding Naruto and the diplomats?"

"Yes sir. My name is Kurenai, and this is Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame." Kurenai said as the three bowed to the man.

"Three young shinobi from three of the noble clans in Konoha. What a special occasion!" Sōsetsu said with glee as we began moving through the castle. We passed through a hallway and into a massive meeting room more beautiful than the entrance. "I hope your travels all went well?"

"We had a slight hiccup, but our protection detail handled it." Kaijme said as they all sat down at the table.

"Wonderful! I'm glad nobody was hurt. Butler, you wouldn't mind showing Naruto to his room, would you? I'm sure he's tired and could use some rest." Sōsetsu asked kindly. The butler bowed as he moved towards one of the doors.

"Actually Sōsetsu, I would like to make a request." Kurenai asked with a bow.

"And what would that be?" Sōsetsu asked.

"If one of my team could stay with Naruto during his duration within your castle."

"If it's danger that you worry of than I wouldn't think more of it. Naruto is safe within these walls as he's protected by my personal guard." Dotō responded with an irritated look.

"I know, but it is the Hokage's son, and if anything were to happen to him while under my protection…"

"I understand, but these are customs. I'm sorry, but if I allowed one of your shinobi to stay within the tower then it would break our foreign policy when it comes to handling shinobi within these castle walls." Sōsetsu responded in sadness.

"Then can a dog stay with him?" Kiba softly spoke. All eyes turned to him as Akamaru barked in excitement from inside his jacket. "I'm sure a pet would be okay, right?"

"I don't see a reason why not." Sōsetsu said as he looked to his brother, who shrugged in indifference.

'Good thinking Kiba.' Kurenai thought as Kiba bent in close to his companion.

"Watch over him and if anything happens come to us. I'm trusting you with this." Kiba whispered, only for Akamaru to nod and jump to the ground. The puppy walked to my side and wagged his tail in excitement.

"Looks like you're with me for a little while. Ready to see where we'll be sleeping?" I asked as we exited the meeting room after the butler disappeared through the doorway.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Shino asked as Kiba stared at the door where the two had disappeared through.

"It's the only way for us to have eyes on him while he's in here." Kiba softly smiled as he remembered when their blonde headed companion saved Akamaru's life. "He's in good hands." Kurenai and Hinata smiled and Shino simply nodded.

"Since that's taken care of lets begin with how these talks will be transpire over the coming week." Sōsetsu said as they prepared themselves for the hefty task discussing treaties.

 **XxXxX**

"And here is your room Lord Namikaze." The butler said as he placed my backpack onto one of the chairs and bowed. My room, much like every other place in this castle, was completely made of white marble. The bed, the dresser, everything. Even the sheets were a mix of pure white and light blue. A single window was set into the wall with magnificent view of the castle and lands around it. My room was placed near the top of the tower that sat at the very center; making it the most secure placed in the complex.

"Thank you." I responded, to which the man quickly left the room and shut the door behind him. "What do you think?" Akamaru barked, making me chuckle. "Yeah, too shiny for me too." I moved towards the window and watched the snow softly fall from the heavens above. The glass was cold to the touch, but for some reason the marble inside was warm. How this was happening perplexed me, but it didn't matter. My mark was here, and now I needed to take in every aspect of his situation before making my move.

Akamaru barked, taking me away from my thoughts and back to the pup that was residing with me. "Don't worry little guy. Just thinking was all." He barked again and jumped onto the bed before getting comfortable. "Yeah, I could use some rest too. Haven't really been able to take it easy since we left Hakone this morning." I took off my coat and scarf before falling back onto the bed where Akamaru got comfortable near me. "Good night, Akamaru." The pup softly barked before resting his head onto the sheets.

 **XxXxX**

"Glad to see you finally visit." The man from the void said as he leaned against a marble pillar that was broken in half. I looked at the man in confusion.

"Why did you bring me here?" I asked, knowing that he wouldn't have brought me here without a reason.

"Just wanted to check in on how you've been doing, and I must say you've certainly been busy." The ink eyed man grinned as he remembered all the people I've killed. "Killing for a profit? I did not expect this when I gave you my gift."

"…" I quietly stared at the man as he continued running through all the hell I must caused my father.

"You even took one of my abilities and morphed it into your own. Very impressive." His grin spread as he stared down at me. "In any case I wanted to give you another gift for giving me so much entertainment." My hand then began to burn as more power surged through the mark on the back of my hand. After the burning subsided he then began walking towards me.

"Going to give me memories on how to use it I presume?" I asked, making him chuckle.

"I could leave you to learning how to use it yourself, but you're young so I'll give you a handicap." His hand then touched my forehead and images of a woman using shades to trick, and even kill, unsuspecting targets flooded my mind.

"D-Doppelgänger?" I asked more to myself than anything. An ability that allows me to create a shade of myself that can distract and even attack enemies like a shadow clone. It even allows me to switch places with it in a pinch, but I can only create two of them at a time. The shade looks like a black misty form of myself that can attack and move just like me.

"I think this power suits your… current clientele." The man said as he began moving away. "Train with it and it will become a part of your instincts like your other abilities."

"…" I didn't initially respond as the dream world began to disappear. "Thanks… I guess."

 **XxXxX**

A knock at my door awoke me from my slumber. "Lord Namikaze! Lord Kazahara wishes for you to join him for breakfast!" An unknown butler said from behind the door.

"I'll be ready in thirty minutes." I responded as I stretched and got out of the bed. Akamaru did the same and watched me as I walked into the bathroom for a quick shower. After replacing my clothes I opened the door to leave only to hear Akamaru whine at my feet. "What?" He jumped onto my leg before falling back to the ground. I sighed as I scratched the back of my head. "Right, right hold on." Taking off my scarf and storing it in one of my pockets, I picked up Akamaru and placed him within my jacket much like Kiba does. "Happy?"

The pup barked in excitement as I began my decent down the stairs towards the meeting room. A butler met me near the bottom of the stairs with a bow. "Right this way." The man said as we walked down the stairs and to a door that was about halfway up the tower. He gestured to the wooden door, to which I slowly entered into a conversation happening between Sōsetsu and a girl about two to three years older than me. Four shinobi stood in the corners of the room silently observing their protectorates. The room was once again lined with marble with a single window that overlooked the castle from around the halfway point of the tower. It would seem the upper portion of the tower was reserved for the Kazahana family and other various VIP's they deem worthy enough to stay amongst them.

"Now Koyuki I know that you wanted to travel, but now is simply not the time." Sōsetsu said to the girl, who audibly 'humphed' at the comment.

"But I want to see the world and meet new people! I want to be an actress one day and sitting here is only stopping my progress!" Koyuki exclaimed in annoyance.

"Please Koyuki. I really want to-." Sōsetsu's eyes then landed on me and he smiled brightly. "Ah, Naruto. I'm glad you could join us!"

"I can come back at later if you two need to talk." I said, but the kind man motioned for me to come over.

"Nonsense! Please, come and meet my daughter. Naruto, this is Koyuki. Koyuki, please meet Naruto Namikaze. Son of the Fourth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village." Sōsetsu said as I approached the table. Koyuki had long black hair with bangs that swept on each side of her face and light blue colored eyes much like my own. The girl looked me up and down before smiling much like her father did.

"Pleased to meet you Naruto!" Koyuki said before standing and bowing. To which I mirrored as well.

"The pleasure is mine." I responded, making her blush slightly.

"Such manners from someone so young." Koyuki said as she sat down. I took my own seat next to Sōsetsu who was at the head of the table.

"It is rare to find someone with manners such as yourself at young age. Your father must have taught you well." Sōsetsu said as he motioned for the butler to start bringing in our food.

'It was mostly Danzo who taught me my manners…' I thought as the food was placed in front of us. It wasn't a magnificent spread, but that's what made it great. Just enough to fill someone up, but not overeat at the same time. "I believe he did an okay job."

"And who is this little fella?" Koyuki asked as she smiled to Akamaru, who barked happily at the attention he was getting.

"This little guy? His name's Akamaru, and he's a friend of mine." I responded as I scratched behind his ear.

"Is he your pet?" Sōsetsu asked, to which the pup stiffened somewhat.

"Not really. He's more a friend than a pet." I responded. Akamaru loosened up at the comment as I continued petting the dog.

"How sweet." The girl then tapped her chin in thought before looking to me once again. "So you're from the Hidden Leaf Village, right?" Koyuki asked. I nodded to her answer before she looked at her father in a dejected manner. "See! How come someone as young as him can travel, but I can't?!"

Sōsetsu sighed as he rubbed his temples in annoyance. "He traveled here because of diplomatic reasons. Besides, traveling can be dangerous. Did you not hear of what happened during their trek here?"

"No? What happened?" Koyuki asked, completely unaware of the ambush we encountered on the way here.

"The Konoha diplomatic team was attacked by bandits and a few of the shinobi assigned to protect them were hurt." Sōsetsu then looked to me and nodded his head in appreciation at what I had done. "The shinobi told me of what happened. You did a good job distracting that nukenin until reinforcements arrived."

"You were attacked by a shinobi?! How did you manage to distract him without chakra?!" Koyuki asked, concern written all over her face.

"The nukenin was from Iwa, meaning they have an inherent dislike towards my father and subsequently me as well. He held one of my companion's hostage so I told them who I was to buy enough time for Yugakure shinobi to arrive and detain them." I rubbed my arm in feint discomfort. "Lets just say he was… happy to see me."

"Naruto was going to give himself up so the Konoha shinobi would be released. An honorable move if I do say so myself." Sōsetsu said as he eyed his daughter, who was staring at me in awe. He smiled before taking a sip of his tea. "Now lets eat our breakfast before it gets cold! We wouldn't want it going to waste now do we?" For the remainder of the breakfast we made small talk about what Konoha was like and that sort of nature, but I noticed Koyuki sending me funny looks every now and again. I feigned ignorance and acted like I never noticed them for better or for worse.

"That was delightful!" Koyuki said as she leaned back into her chair with a hefty sigh.

"It looks like Kaijme, Nao, and Shou should be here momentarily." Sōsetsu stood from his chair and bowed to us. "With that I must take my leave. Koyuki, could you be a dear and show our guest around the castle?"

"Umm…" She looked over to me, but I gave her one of my fake smiles. She smiled herself and nodded her head. "Sure. I would love to."

Sōsetsu grinned and walked to the door that I had entered through. "Have fun you two, and don't get into too much trouble."

Koyuki blushed deeply at that statement. "W-What is that supposed to mean?!" She shouted back to her father. He waved his hand over his shoulder while laughing at her daughter's embarrassment. Koyuki 'humphed' before looking to me still embarrassed. "Don't mind him. He's just being dumb like all fathers."

"Don't worry about it. My dad can be like that sometimes." I replied as we stood from our seats.

"So what part of the castle would you like to see first?" Koyuki asked as we exited the room.

"Up to you miss tour guide. I'm in your care for the remainder of the day." The princess grinned before grabbing my hand and pulling me down the stairs leading to the bottom of the tower.

"Then lets start with the snow gardens, shall we?" As we moved Akamaru barked in excitement until finally we made it to a set of double glass doors leading to a surprisingly green area surrounded by snow. Koyuki opened the doors and a weird mix of wet warmth and dry cold hit me. "Beautiful, isn't it?" I moved out into the green garden to see a light snow fall onto us, but none of the frozen water stuck to the earth. Flowers of different colors and trees stood high from the green grass below. A strange sensation washed over me as I looked around the area. Lush green plant life surrounded me, but the brisk cold air and snow flowed around me.

"It's…" I breathed in while closing my eyes and felt strangely at ease… for the first time in a long time. In Konoha I always had to look over my shoulder because of the line of work that I took on. This would constantly put me on edge, but here… "Beautiful."

Koyuki stared at my back as she watched me take in the world around us. For some reason the air in the garden softened and the world slowed to a pace that she could only describe as peaceful. The boy standing in front of her had, if not for a sudden moment, lowered his shields and took in the beauty that the garden had contained. Her entire focus was on the boy and the beauty that had all too eagerly come to surround his body. The gardens had, for just a moment, become a little more radiant.

A bark then returned us both to reality as I looked down to see Akamaru staring at the gardens with amazement as well. "You think it's pretty too, don't you?" I asked with a smile. Akamaru nodded his head as I let him down from my jacket to explore the gardens. Turning around, I smiled back at Koyuki with appreciation. "Thank you for showing me this. It's wonderful." A soft pink tinted Koyuki's cheeks, but she shook her head and coughed to cover this.

"R-Right. Well this is my favorite place in the castle." Koyuki walked up next to me and looked out over the gardens with me. "I always come here to relax and think."

"I can see why, but how is this even possible? These plants should be dead because of the cold." I inquired as we walked through the gardens.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I know it has to do with generators beneath the surface. The castle is heated in much the same way as the garden is if you hadn't noticed." Koyuki explained as we saw Akamaru jumping in and out of the bushes as we slowly walked along the stone path. "My father's a genius when it comes to technology and is constantly creating new ways to use this technology."

"Did he also create those chest pieces that your shinobi wear?" Koyuki nodded her head in acknowledgement.

"Not very many have been made, but I think some of the shinobi here wear them." She tapped her chin in thought as she tried to remember what her father had told her about the armor. "I think… about twelve were made, but it's still in the prototype stages."

"What does it do?"

"I was never told exactly, sorry." Koyuki said with a frown at not being able to say what the armor did.

"Don't worry about it. It's still a marvel that your father has created so much. You must be proud." Koyuki smiled proudly at my words.

"He's one of the best father's a girl can have. Now, would you like to explore the lower district?" Koyuki asked as we approached the door that had led us out into the gardens.

"Lead the way." I replied before looking over my shoulder. "Come on Akamaru! We're leaving!" A bark from a nearby bush was quickly followed by an excited puppy exploding out from said bush and running towards us. We both chuckled at my companion as he sat next to me. "You're going to have to walk for a little while because you have dirt on your paws." The dog whined as we entered the castle and moved towards the front gate. "No whining. You knew that was going to happen when you ran through the dirt." Koyuki chuckled at the pup's expense as we moved through the castle and out of the front gate. Koyuki was handed a heavy jacket by a maid near the front door, who briskly adorned the heavier jacket to protect her from the cold. Only the Noble District, which was made up of the Kazahana house, was heated it would seem. "Don't worry. I've been told that the cold helps build character." Akamaru shot me a dirty look, making Koyuki laugh even more.

"Going to the market district, Princess Koyuki?" The guard at the gate that led to the lower level asked. We would have to pass through the diplomatic district first, but it shouldn't take long from my past experience. The castle went from Market District, Diplomatic District, and finally Noble District. Lowest to highest of course.

"We certainly are. You wouldn't mind letting the guards in the area know that we're coming, would you?" Koyuki asked as we passed by him.

"Of course. Have a pleasant time." The man replied before disappearing to warn the guards in the Market District.

"I've heard of what happened with Kumogakure, but I still can't figure out why they'd try and take land away from you." I commented as we made our way through the Diplomatic District. It was cold and I wrapped my scarf around my neck in an attempt to insulate the cold bite.

"I'm not sure myself. Something about wanting one of our port towns near their border. Luckily your father pressured them to back down from expanding into our territory." Koyuki sighed as she thought over the situation that had come to pass. "We're an island nation completely covered in snow. Why would they want to take one of our port towns?" About two years ago Kumogakure tried to exert sovereignty over one of the port towns that lingered on an island off the coast of the Land of Snow. The Raikage claimed that it had originally belonged to them, but was taken when the formation of their village began. This, of course, was denounced by the Land of Snow, but without a strong alley Kumogakure could easily bully them into submission. Luckily for them my father saw an opportunity to both stop the Raikage's expansion while also greatly improving relations with the Land of Snow. The Hokage forced the Hidden Cloud to back down or risk war over a small port town. After some posturing the Raikage finally backed down.

"Sounds strange to me, but I couldn't get inside that kage's head even if I tried." I responded as we exited the Diplomatic District and into the market area.

"Want some lunch? There's this nice little kare raisu restaurant right around the corner that I like to go to." Koyuki asked as we walked through the snowy streets.

"Hello Princess Koyuki!" Someone said with enthusiasm.

"Good morning!" Koyuki replied with a smile. Then another greeted the young princess to which Koyuki responded politely. It wasn't long until at least seven people were around her talking about one thing or another. I decided to stand off to the side and watch the spectacle.

'This reminds me how the villagers back home treat Yui.' I thought, but then a paw rubbed against my leg. Looking down, Akamaru was staring at me with pleading eyes. "Alright come on." I picked up the pup and wiped his paws off the best I could before placing him between me and my jacket. The dog popped his head out from behind my scarf with a smile. "Happy?" The pup barked and nestled into his resting spot inside my jacket. After Akamaru was all ready to go I looked up to see Koyuki walking away from the group while waving at them.

"I hope to see you all soon!" Koyuki replied, but then grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the group of people. "Lets get out of here." Not wanting to disappoint I let her guide me to the restaurant which was right across the street. We entered the building to see a few people sitting at various tables, but for the most part disregarded us.

"Well if it isn't my favorite customer!" A woman shouted from the counter at the back of the building. The woman had gray hair with dark wrinkling skin and stood a little shorter than me. "Oh! And who do we have here? A boyfriend perhaps?"

"B-Boyfriend?!" Koyuki stammered as she quickly released my hand in embarrassment. "He's just a guest to the castle is all!"

"Is that right?" The woman said as she grinned mischievously at the girl who was bright red from the comment. She then laughed and turned to me while holding out her hand. "The name's Aimi. Pleasure to meet you."

"Naruto." I responded as I shook her hand.

"So you're the guest that came along with the diplomatic team from Konoha?" Aimi asked as we sat down at the table. Aimi stood to the side and pulled out a pen and paper to take our orders, but was waiting for my response.

"I am. My father is the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf village." I said, but Aimi didn't seem fazed at my words.

"So that's the reason Lord Kazahana asked us to be on our best behavior when you arrived. You know your father did a mighty nice thing for us when those cloud folks threatened to take our port towns. Can't thank him enough for that." She then looked to Koyuki and grinned. "So that's why you're trying to get into his pants. Can't blame you since he is a looker."

"I'm not trying to get into his pants!" Koyuki shouted before covering her bright red face with her arms against the table. "He's like three years younger than me!" Aimi laughed loudly as she slapped her knee to amplify the effect.

"I'm just joking! Now what'll you have? I'm sure you two didn't come here just to kiss and stuff." Koyuki groaned from beneath her buried arms. "The usual. Gotcha. Now how about you honey?"

"Same as her." I replied with a smile, to which Aimi nodded and wrote it down onto the piece of paper.

"Be out soon, and Koyuki." The girl glanced up at her to see her bowing. "Good to see you." With that Aimi disappeared into the back room to prepare our food.

"She seems… lively." I said, making Akamaru bark in agreement.

"Aimi is like the mother I never had. When I was young Aimi taught me everything my father never could." Koyuki said as she recovered from her embarrassment.

"What happened to your mother?"

"She died during childbirth. This left my dad to take care of me, but it's hard for your father to teach you everything that a girl needs to know. So, Aimi sort of taught me everything that my father couldn't." Koyuki smiled at the memory of her time spent here.

"Then that's something we have in common then." I stated as I scratched Akamaru's ear. Koyuki looked to me in confusion, silently asking me to continue. "I guess you could say my mother died during childbirth as well."

"Two peas in a pot then." Koyuki said as we enjoyed a comfortable silence before our curry was brought out by Aimi.

"And here you two go. Two plates of curry for the love birds." Aimi said, making Koyuki blush, but otherwise disregard the comment. "Enjoy."

"Does she do that with every guy she see's you with?" I questioned after Aimi disappeared once again into the back room.

"No, but I don't have very many guy friends. Most of my friends are some of the girls that live in the market district." Koyuki responded as I took a bite of the curry.

"Is it because of your dad?"

"No. It's because normally I'm uncomfortable around them, but when I'm with you…" She glanced to me and shook her head before taking a bite of her food. "It must be because of the dog." I chuckled before grabbing a piece of meat from my curry and held it up to the pup in my jacket.

"I know Kiba doesn't normally let you eat from his plate, but this can be our little secret." I grinned as Akamaru bit into the meat with delight covering his features.

"You really do get along with him well, don't you?" Koyuki asked as she watched us interact.

"Treat them nicely and they'll do the same." I commented. I placed a portion of the curry into my mouth and swallowed the spicy food down. "Do you not like dogs?"

"Of course I do! I've just never seen someone get along with their pet so well."

"Friend. He's my friend, not my pet. Besides…" I patted the dog on his head who barked in acceptance. "Akamaru actually belongs to someone else."

"Wait, so he's not yours?"

"Nope. This little furry ball of joy is just staying with me for a while." Koyuki simply smiled at the sight before sipping her drink.

"You must be very good with animals then." I declined to reply and decided to just eat my food instead. After we were done eating we left the building before Aimi could hassle Koyuki anymore.

"What's next?"

"Want to explore the Noble District a little more?" Koyuki asked.

"Sure, but I don't think there's anything more beautiful than the Snow Gardens." I responded as we moved through the streets and towards the Diplomatic District.

"I don't think there is, but there is something that comes close."

"Oh?" I questioned with feint curiosity.

"Follow me." Koyuki said as she led me back to the Kazahana house at the center of the castle. After entering the house with the tower at the center we made our way up the tower until we came upon the top floor. "This is my father's room."

"You wanted to show me your father's room?" I asked with a deadpan expression.

"Not my father's room exactly." She replied as she shook her hands in front of her. "But the balcony." We entered the room to see it was rather large with a single bed at the center with a desk and other books lying about the room. Several parts to machines that went far over my head strayed across the room in a chaotic fashion. "Sorry about the mess." Koyuki said as we moved around the equipment and towards a set of double doors. Opening the doors revealed a balcony that over looked the plains that was surrounded by snowcapped mountains. A single road led to a frozen lake and lined said lake until disappearing into the mountains beyond. Snow continued to fall from the heavens above, but the white marble beneath our feet was heated to a comfortable level. The bustle of the Market District was distant and the only sound came from the wind that flowed in over the mountains. "Maybe not as beautiful as the…" She then looked over to the blonde only to see a small genuine smile, much like the one I wore when we were in the Snow Gardens, gracing my features.

"Your country holds so much beauty." I commented as a crack in my mask formed, but something else surfaced that even I wasn't expecting. I couldn't form it into words, but this place held so much beauty that maybe, just _maybe_ , I could feel at ease for just a moment. It was these small moments of bliss that kept my mind on track. These small moments that kept me from falling too deep into the hole that I dug myself into.

"Thanks…" Koyuki said before diverting her gaze away from me and to the lands beyond. 'It's like there's a different person beneath that face of his. When he see's something like this he grows comfortable enough to actually smile like this. Hmm…'

"So this is where you two have been." A voice from behind us said, making us turn to see Dotō standing inside Sōsetsu's room. Koyuki immediately got serious when the presence of her uncle made itself known.

"Have you been looking for us?" Koyuki asked as we entered the bedroom and closed the doors behind us.

"For you specifically." Dotō responded while crossing his arms. "Your father has asked you to meet him in the common room. I believe he wants you to meet the diplomatic team from Konoha."

"I see. Then I will take my leave. It was a pleasure, Naruto Namikaze." Koyuki said with a bow before leaving the room and descending the stairs. Dotō and I stayed silent for a moment, as if to take in each other's presence.

This silence was broken when Dotō walked towards one of the tables that housed a machine of unknown design. He picked up a piece of the machine and observed it with a small amount of curiosity. "I was never very good with technology like my brother is. The ability to create has flowed through his veins since the day he was born." After looking over the piece for a short amount of time he replaced it back onto the table before looking over to me. "Tell me. What is your true purpose for being here?"

"…" I stared back at the man with furrowed brows as walked towards me with that even look he gave everyone else.

"Why would the kage from Konoha send one of his children to a foreign land at the last possible moment?" Dotō leaned in close so we were nearly face to face. "It truly makes me wonder…"

"It's because it would be a sign of good trus-."

"Don't bullshit me!" Dotō exploded as he walked away in anger. Akamaru was growling threateningly from inside my jacket, but the man ignored the pup. "I know how shinobi work! They wouldn't send someone as important as you without a hidden reason. Was it to steal technology from us? Or was it to seduce the princess so one day you two would marry?"

"…" I simply stared back at the man as he racked his brain for answers.

"If you were to marry the princess then Konoha would control the Land of Snow since Sōsetsu's only child is Koyuki." His face then turned to knowing as he nodded his head at his apparent answer. "That's it… Konoha is hoping to absorb the Land of Snow into their sphere of influence by marrying off their son to the daughter of Sōsetsu. Well let me tell you the Land of Snow is mine! Do you hear me?!"

"I'm not here to seduce Koyuki, or steal technology. To be perfectly honest I'm just here because I wanted to travel outside of Konoha. That's it. There's no hidden agenda here. Just a boy's desire to travel." I responded, but Dotō didn't look convinced.

"We'll see about that." Dotō said before storming out of the room. I stayed silent for a moment as my cold eyes stayed on the door for a while.

I was broken from my trance by a soft whine and bump against my chin. Akamaru was rubbing his head against my chin in an attempt to comfort me. "Don't worry. It's all just a misunderstanding. I'm sure it will blow over." Akamaru still did his best to comfort me as I left the room.

'Something else is going on here, and it can't be good…'

 **XxXxX**

 **AN:** So here's the next chapter. I'm currently on vacation so I should have more time write chapters. I hope you all continue to read my story and enjoy it!

As always, I love you all!


	8. A New Perspective

**XxXxX**

"Akamaru." I said as I laid down on my bed in contemplation. The pup that was once in my jacket was now trying to sleep at the end of my bed, but looked over to me when I said his name. "Does something feel… off to you?" The dog looked at me questionably as I stared at the ceiling. It's been two days since I last spoke to Dotō and I haven't been able to speak with Koyuki at all. Only the butlers and Sōsetsu seemed to be within the house and since I wasn't able to leave without an escort…

The pup barked, agreeing with my sense of wariness that had befallen us. This had to be Dotō's doing, but what was his plan? I didn't care if he separated Koyuki and I. No… there was something else going on and I needed to learn what it was if I'm going to complete my mission without any outside hindrance. Looking to the window I found that it was dark, possibly around midnight, meaning it was the perfect time to explore.

"I'm going to grab some water. Want me to get you a bowl?" I asked the dog, who simply nodded his head and tried to sleep some more. "I'll be right back." The kitchen was about two floors down, but that wasn't my objective at the moment. Throwing my scarf over my neck I began walking down the stairs while activating my Dark Vision. 'Nothing looks out of the ordinary…' Everything looked in order from as far as I could tell, but then I stopped when I saw two people standing inside one of the coolers that hung meat within the kitchen area. I slowly crept up to the cooler and listened in on the conversation. The cooler door was barely open so it wouldn't lock them inside, and as I approached I quickly applied what I learned from Danzo to silence my steps and breath.

"Everything is in place Lord Dotō." One of the voices said before kneeling before the other figure.

"Perfect. Any word on Koyuki?" Dotō questioned.

"The princess will return from her diplomatic mission in time for the grand event my lord."

"Make sure everything is prepared. I don't want any loyalists learning of this…" With that I silently pulled away from the cooler with brand new information that could come in handy.

'So Dotō's planning a revolt. That explains his outburst before, and he also said that Koyuki was sent away on a diplomatic mission. He was probably trying to make sure we didn't get too close before this _grand event_ takes place.' Without any further information I deactivated my Dark Vision and returned to my room. Akamaru looked to me and saw that I was empty handed.

"Sorry, but the kitchen is all locked up for the night. Guess we'll have to wait until the morning." I lied as jumped into bed. He whined and simply fell back asleep.

'I may be able to use this to my advantage, but we'll see.' Closing my eyes I mentally prepared for what was to come.

 **XxXxX**

"You know… this place is beautiful, isn't it Akamaru?" I asked as I moved through the Snow Gardens of Kazahana Castle. The pup barked in agreement and simply enjoyed the ride beneath my scarf. It was early in the morning of the following day and I was getting some much needed relaxation before the coming storm. The castle has been properly mapped out within my mind and my target's common pathing memorized as well. Killing Lord Kazahana is easy enough, but I needed to do it without anyone knowing it was me. Poison was an obvious option, but Sōsetsu's meals were carefully watched and not easily accessible without a high risk of becoming discovered. Sneaking into his room and killing him in his sleep was out of the question as well because of the shinobi monitoring his room carefully. If I were to enter the room his guards would surely know. Shinobi are… aggravating to work around, but Dotō's uprising could prove to be the key to this mission's success. I don't know which shinobi opposed or supported Dotō, but until this _grand event_ took place I would have to assume every guard would still guard their Daimyō with their lives.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" A voice asked behind me, making me turn to see the very man I was sent here to kill. Sōsetsu smiled brightly as he approached me with snow falling to the warm earth below. "This garden is the prototype to something great. Something that I hope will change this country for the better." The elder man stopped next to me and looked up into the cloudy sky. I stared at the man and thought about killing him right where he stood. It would be easy enough. Just a quick gust of wind and it would all be over, but I knew that the time was not right. Several shinobi were probably in the surrounding area, and even further Akamaru sat in my jacket. No… now was not the time…

"Something great?" I questioned as I looked up into the sky above as well. Sōsetsu grinned as he thought of the momentous project that was set before him.

"Yes, something great. If it all goes to plan than this country will prosper and its people smile as brightly as the sun." His words were only making my job harder…

"You're a good leader." I commented, making him chuckle.

"You flatter me."

"It's true. Everyone I've talked to holds you and your daughter in high regards." I then tapped my chin in thought. "Where has Koyuki been anyway? I haven't seen her in a few days."

"I believe Koyuki was sent on a mission to one of our southern ports by Dotō. I'm not entirely sure why, but he was rather persistent about it." Sōsetsu then frowned at the thought of his brother. "Dotō has been acting strangely as of late. I hope everything is okay."

"…" Of course I knew why, but telling him would only make my mission more difficult. For now I would remain silent. "I'm sure it's nothing."

"If it's okay with you, I'd like to tell you about the current status of the Land of Snow." I furrowed my brows at this in curiosity. Why would Sōsetsu want to tell me of possible internal strife within their country? "As you know I'm the Daimyō of the Land of Snow and, like the other elemental nations, a Daimyō is separate from their Hidden Village. Just as the Land of Fire has Konoha; the Land of Snow has Yukigakure. The current Kage of Yukigakure is my brother Dotō, but…" He sighed while rubbing the back of his neck. "The incident with Kumogakure has morphed my brother's mind. I believe he sees me as a weak link and has been pushing for more power within the country."

"Are you scared he might do something?"

"No, at least I don't believe he will, but since the incident Dotō's changed. He's become more bold and outspoken. It's almost as if he has someone backing him from shadows."

'Danzo…' So that was his plan. He sent me along to ensure the death of Sōsetsu so that Dotō's revolt wouldn't run into any problems. After the uprising Danzo would have some major influence within the politics of Yukigakure and use it to his advantage. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Your father sent you here for a reason, and if it was just for vacation then so be it. But…" He looked to me with the most serious face I've seen him wear since I've come here. "If something does happen please make sure your father knows, and… make sure my daughter is safe." With that the man walked back into the castle, leaving me to wonder how much he truly knew. If he was trusting _me_ to protect his daughter than that meant his trust in his personal guard was degrading. Even still a plan was beginning to formulate in my head. It was a backup plan if my cover was ever blown in Konoha, but if it worked…

A soft whine pulled me back to reality. "I know, but lets stay silent for now. We don't know if it involves us or not." The pup looked concerned, but I simply pet his head in the way I knew he liked so much. "There's nothing we can do about it right now." I walked back into the castle and looked around the massive marble room that served as this houses' entrance. This building truly was a work of art, and if Dotō's plan actually came to pass than it would be a shame to see such beauty erased from the world.

"Naruto?" A voice said, making me turn my attention away from the marble scenery and to the group that escorted me here. Team 8, along with the diplomats, could be seen entering the building along with some shinobi guards. It was Kiba who spoke, which got the pup all excited to see his companion. I lifted the pup from my jacket and let him run to Kiba, who all too eagerly picked up Akamaru in delight. "Hey buddy! How have you been?!"

Akamaru barked happily and licked Kiba's face to show how happy he was. I approached the group, but the diplomats looked less excited to see me. Save for Shou, who smiled brightly at my appearance. "We should move along. Join us when you find the time." Kaijme said before moving along with Kao in tow. Shou, however, stopped next to me and whispered into my ear.

"Join us as well. I think your presence today could help us." Shou whispered, but I frowned at that comment.

"I'm not so sure about that. Dotō doesn't seem to trust me for a reason that's obvious." I responded in an equally hushed tone. Shou nodded solemnly at this.

"Koyuki?" I nodded my head as well, making him sigh at this. "I worried about this, but I think everything should run smoothly. Your presence here should be enough, and thanks for the forewarning on Dotō. I'll warn the others of this development." After our quiet conversation Shou followed the other diplomats into the meeting room.

"So how has the lavish lifestyle been treating you?" Kurenai asked as Team 8 approached me.

"I'm not too keen on being a prisoner, but I can't complain." I responded, making a females of the group frown.

"We're almost done here and then we'll be gone before you know it." Kurenai reassured, trying to lighten the mood. "Have you been able to leave the Noble District?"

"Not without an escort, but the only one that seems to have the time to do so has been Koyuki. The Daimyō's daughter." I sighed as I thought over the situation once again. "But she's been on a diplomatic mission for a few days so I haven't been able to leave."

"That stinks. So it's like you've been on house arrest since coming here." Kiba said as he softly kicked the marbled floor.

"I'm sorry Naruto." Hinata said as she looked to me with worried eyes.

"Before we go, I need to ask you something." Kurenai spoke with a serious look about her. I furrowed my brows as Kiba motioned for Akamaru to stick with me once again. "I overheard something from Kaijme and Kao. They don't like you very much, do they?"

"Not a whole lot, but I'm used to it." My eyes grew just a tad bit colder when she spoke of my possible family issues.

"They called you… parasite." Hinata said with a deeper frown.

"Yeah… some people in the village enjoy calling me that." I'm not surprised that someone in a prestigious clan, like everyone on Team 8, have been kept from the rumors that circulated amongst the civilian population. In truth not many clansmen, or Jonin for that matter, knew of lowly rumors such as this.

"Why would they call you something so terrible? You're the son of the Hokage!" Kurenai asked, but my expression never changed. I never expected the upper echelon of the shinobi to know, or care, about my situation. The only importance I held to the village was my blood relation to my father, but otherwise my sister held a higher tactical value. She was a shinobi, and contained the Kyuubi within her stomach. Me? Well…

"My family is a shining star that is untainted by the world around them. A beacon that everyone, shinobi and civilian alike, can look up to. Then there's me…" I began walking away with Akamaru following behind me. "When people think of my family, and remember that I'm a part of it, what do you think they see?" I stopped and glanced back over my shoulder with a bone chilling glare that made Team 8 freeze in place. "A _parasite_."

Team 8 watched as I exited the building the same way that they entered with thoughts pertaining to their blonde companion. "I… never knew." Kiba finally said, still staring at the exit in shock. "Do people really talk about him like that?"

"When I was a Chunin I've heard of these rumors, but I didn't know who they were talking about. I always thought they were talking about someone that held one of the leading offices within the village." Kurenai said aloud, her heart hurting a bit more with this new revelation.

"How can someone think of him like that? Is it just because he can't use chakra?" Hinata asked, who was fairing worse than everyone else.

"I guess so…" Kurenai said before looking to the door where the diplomats were conversing with the Daimyō of the Land of Snow. "Come on team. We still have a mission to complete."

As the group moved away, Shino remained a while longer in deep thought. 'Hmm…'

 **XxXxX**

Akamaru whined as we entered the snowy street that led towards the gate that served as the exit to the Diplomatic District. It wasn't a whine to be picked up, but a whine of concern for the person that he has bonded with over the last week. "Relax. I'm fine." My tone was even and didn't hold the fake happiness that I normally intertwined into my voice. The pup wasn't convinced, but silently followed beside me nonetheless. My walk to the gate was uneventful, and when I reached the gate a guard appeared before me with that metal armor around his body. "I would like to enter the Market District."

"You need an escort if you are to leave." The guard said with a stern expression adorning his features.

"Are there any available?" I questioned. I had asked this question before, but the guard had blown me off by saying everyone was very busy.

The man ground his teeth before nodding his head. "There is one. He will be following you from the shadows until you return." The guard moved to the side. Allowing me passage to the lower sections of the castle. "Please return by supper as I believe you have a scheduled meeting."

"Thank you." I responded before passing through the gate and into the Diplomatic District. 'Sōsetsu must have said something. That man is too trusting…'

The snow had stopped falling, but the light gray clouds above still lingered. Threatening to snow once again if it ever felt the need to pile on anymore frozen water. As always, the Diplomatic district was as barren as ever. Only the occasional guard, or diplomat, could be seen traversing the snow covered streets. Still, I felt like a presence lingered in the shadows meaning that there was indeed someone watching my every move. With nobody to slow me down I quickly made it to the Market District where more people could be seen out and about. It was the early afternoon and it was the warmest part of the day. Even it was below freezing the people had to take advantage of whatever they could.

'Time to explore a bit. Just in case I need to move through this area to escape.' With that thought in mind I began moving through the Market District, but learning the layout was much easier than I expected. A singular street ran around the area with vendors and houses alike built into the walls on both sides. Not many people lived within the walls of the castle, but outside in houses that ran right up to the stone walls of the castle. We passed these buildings when we approached the castle, and I noticed that many of the people seemed just as happy with their situation. Killing this man was becoming harder and harder with each passing moment.

I stopped in front of a building that had a hammer portrayed on a sign above the door. A warm heat was pushing itself out of the open door and into the brisk cold air. With nothing else to do I walked into the building to hear a constant pounding of metal against metal. It sounded familiar to the sound that resonates through Aki's shop when Tenten was creating something new for her vast arsenal of weapons. Various tools lined the walls and a hanging smoke lingered near the ceiling of the room. A person was messing with something behind the desk on the far side of the room. No weapons could be seen anywhere, leading me to believe the people working here only worked by commission only. With that in mind I approached the counter and rang the bell.

"One moment please!" The person behind the counter exclaimed as boxes of tools could be heard shifting around beyond my vision. I looked down to Akamaru, who did a puppy shrug at the situation. Finally, after a few moments of waiting, a woman appeared before us with a giant smile adorning her face. She had bright purple hair and light skin. Black smoke marks covered her body and she wore a black smith's attire; goggles and all. "How may I help you today?"

"Just wondering what sort of weapons you create here." I inquired as the banging from the back room continued on in a steady rhythm.

"Oh all sorts of weapons. Is there anything in particular that you're looking for?" The woman asked before she finally realized something. "Where are my manners? My name is Hatsue." She removed her glove and extended her hand. I took it and nodded my head.

"Naruto." I responded. Hatsue's eyes widened once she finally realized who I was.

"You're Lord Namikaze?! I'm sorry for not recognizing sooner!" She then bowed deeply to me, making me very uncomfortable.

"It's fine. Please raise your head." Hatsue did as I requested before smiling in embarrassment. "And please, just Naruto is fine."

"So what makes someone as important you come to our little shop?" Hatsue asked before leaning forward onto the counter.

"I'm just curious about the weapons here. They seem much more advanced than everywhere else in the world." Hatsue grinned at the words that I spoke.

"Of course we do! Our Daimyō has invented many ways for our shinobi to have an edge over our enemies." There was pride in every word that she spoke and she puffed her chest out to express this further. "Things such as the chakra armor have given us more power even though we have less shinobi than some of the other major nations."

"But aren't they made by him personally? Meaning there aren't very many?" I questioned.

"Yup! If I'm not mistaken there are only about thirty made and they are worn by the Honor Guards and a few of the Jonin from Yukigakure. Most of the armor is located here within the castle."

"Impressive! What do you sell though?" I pressed on.

"We sell your everyday weapons and armor. Kunai, swords, axes, you know how it is." Hatsue said with a shrug.

"Anything out of the ordinary?"

"Well…" The woman said as she looked over shoulder. "We do have a secret item on the list, but we don't sell it to just anybody. My father is the master smith and has only found four of them in his lifetime."

"Oh? What kind of weapon is it?" I was truly curious at this point.

"It's not a weapon, but an item that-."

"Hatsue!" The woman's back quickly straightened when a very masculine voice erupted throughout the building. I blinked in astonishment and Akamaru whimpered softly before hiding behind my legs. The man then appeared through the doorway that led to the backroom. He was tall and extremely built. He had the same color eyes and hair as Hatsue, but held a _very_ angry face when he looked to us. "What were you just about to say?!"

"O-Oh, it w-was nothing Dai. Just talking to a customer is all." Hatsue said with stuttered breath.

"You wouldn't happen to be talking about my special item, would you?!" Dai leaned in close to his daughter who was now sweating bullets.

"I-I…" Hatsue looked to the side as to avert her father's intense gaze.

"I knew it!" Dai then turned his fiery gaze to me and began analyzing me. "And who might be the one that my daughter accidently gave this information away to?"

"Naruto Namikaze." I said with a slight bow. Dai's features slowly softened at my words.

"So, the son of the Hokage decided to come and visit my little shop." Dai began walking around me, analyzing my body for any form of weakness. "Those clothes. Who did they belong to?"

"A friend of mine." I responded, but Dai continued to circle me with narrowed eyes.

"A friend?" I nodded my head, but then he stopped in front of me with his piercing eyes staring into my own. "An old associate of mine used to wear something similar to what you're wearing. Black jacket with silver linings and a black scarf around his neck."

"You…" I voiced, but I stopped when I realized that a certain pup sat at my feet. Dai seemed to notice this and nodded his head in understanding.

"Interesting. Anyway I think I can help you out since you're the son of the Hokage that kept Snow safe from those jerks living in the clouds." Dai turned and disappeared into the back room, leaving a stunned purple haired girl in his wake.

"H-He's actually going to…" Her eyes widened at the thought of what was about to happen. "I'm so excited! You've got to understand I'm _such_ a big fan of yours. Well, not you, but your father. He is just the coolest person on the face of the planet." Hatsue then looked off into the distance in a dreamy like fashion, but I simply sighed as I shook my head. This whole spiel again.

"Yeah, I guess so." I responded with a mutter, but then Dai returned holding a box in his hands.

"What's inside this box…" Dai sighed deeply before looking to his daughter who was watching the scene intently. "You wouldn't mind following me, would you? I need a little privacy." I nodded my head and followed the man into the backroom. Akamaru went to follow, but I stopped him.

"Give us a little privacy. Make sure she…" I nodded my head to the pouting girl behind the desk. "Doesn't follow." Akamaru whined, but I pet his head in comfort. "Do this for me and I'll get you something special to eat on the way back, alright?" After a moment of staring the pup finally nodded his head, allowing me to follow Dai into the backroom. A single anvil sat at the center of the room with tools for the forge littered about the room. The room was small, but it allowed for access to everything he would need. "How do you know who gave me these clothes?"

Dai checked to see if the door behind me was locked before nodding his head. "Because I'm the person who sold them to Aki."

"You sold these clothes to him?" So he knew who Aki was. He had to be telling the truth… right?

"I did, and I can only image what he used them for." He then pointed to my scarf, as if to explain what they did. "The scarf has seals woven into them that filters out toxins while the clothes on your back scrambles your presence from sensory type shinobi." Dai said, making me furrow my brows at the built man. Noticing my unspoken question, Dai continued his dialogue. "I used to dabble in the third market shinobi clothing trade for a little extra money. When I came upon a set of clothes that didn't require chakra to maintain I jumped at the chance to sell them to someone else. Aki was the person that ended up buying them. There isn't anything special about those clothes; they're the first pair I've seen that someone who isn't a shinobi can use. I've given up the practice and decided to continue my profession as a blacksmith."

"Any particular reason you gave the practice up?"

"Too dangerous." Dai began opening the box and smiled softly down at its contents. "Nearly got me killed once and decided it was too much." He fully removed the object from the box and in his hand was a… kunai?

"I thought you said it wasn't a weapon?" I asked as Dai spun the weapon around his finger while still admiring the blade.

"Well the kunai itself isn't anything special. Much like your clothes." He stopped the spinning kunai to show that something was on it. "You see, this blade has been inscribed with special seals that I've found in the far northern reaches of the Land of Snow." The northern coast of the Land of Snow is a barren wasteland where no sustainable life can be properly maintained.

"You still haven't answered my-." My words stopped in my mouth as the blade was shoved into my chest. It took me a moment to recognize what happened as I simply stared back at the man in surprise. 'He's… a shinobi…?'

"I'm sorry, but this is the only way." Dai said as he took a step back to examine his work. I fell backwards onto the ground with feint of breath. It was becoming harder and harder to breath with each passing moment. "Interesting. So this is how it works. With one last push…" Dai then pressed the kunai further into my chest until I felt it completely become enveloped into my body; its inscriptions glowing a crimson red as he did this. I was too weak to fight back because once the blade entered my chest I felt immediate exhaustion take hold. Like all my strength was sapped from my body.

"W-Why?"

"This is a gift. Let it happen." Dai replied, but my vision was becoming darker with each passing moment and my body felt… cold. I fought and fought against the numbing feeling that was death, but it continued pressing forth without hesitation.

'So… this is how I die. That's what I get for trusting.' With that I took one last breath and let the darkness overtake me.

 **XxXxX**

 **AN:** So I know it's been a while since I've uploaded, but I've got a good reason! I've decided to go back to school for my graduate degree and let me tell you I've literally zero time on my hands. It's hard juggling a full time job with school, but it is what it is. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think!

And remember, I love you all!


	9. A Beautiful Loss

**XxXxX**

I awoke to a startled gasp as my lungs desperately searched for air that wasn't there before. My eyes began darting about the room and I found that I was still in the same forging room as before except something was _very_ different. All the tools and work benches that once lined the room had disappeared. Quickly glancing down I found that the place where I had been stabbed remained untouched; even my clothes remained in perfect condition.

'W-What happened? I died?' Slowly standing, a feint burning feeling in my chest appeared before quickly disappearing as fast as my assailant. My body was sore from whatever Dai had done to me, but otherwise I felt fine. A stray kunai lay by my side, but the inscriptions that had been etched into its side was no longer there. It was just a normal kunai… 'What the hell did he do to me?' A scratch at the door brought my attention to my companion that was locked away from me. After opening the door Akamaru burst into the room and glanced about with tension in his eyes.

"Akamaru?" The pup barked before he finally looked up to me in curiosity. "Where did Dai and Hatsue go?" He looked confused at my words which brought me further into confusion as well until finally my eyes narrowed. 'Genjutsu… Even still I should have been able to sense it. Between Danzo's training and my heightened senses because of my mark I should have been able to know I was in one. It must have been one powerful genjutsu user.' Akamaru's bark brought me out of my stupor. I leaned down and pet the pup with a smile. "Don't worry about it. Was just a little dazed is all." He looked at me with suspicion, but declined to continue as I lifted him up and placed him within my coat. We walked out of the backroom to see an abandoned room much like the backroom, further pushing my theory that I was placed under an immensely powerful genjutsu. If I had known I was under one then I would have been able to activate my Dark Vision to help nullify it. Since Dark Vision allows me to see through objects, and pick out people, I've theorized that it should allow me to see through the effects of illusions… hopefully. To not even know I was under one though…

'I wonder if Akamaru knew that I was placed under a genjutsu?' Shrugging my shoulders I began moving towards one of the food stalls and soon enough I felt the slight chill of being watched once again. Whenever I entered the building the shinobi tasked to watch over me must have not been able to follow me in. If I had to guess I must have only been out for at most fifteen minutes because said shinobi never followed us in to check on the situation.

"What'll you have?" The man asked with enthusiasm.

"Fried rice please." He nodded his head and quickly made the food before handing it to me in a disposable container. After paying for the food I continued my trek through the Market District while eating the warm meal. Every now and again I would pitch the pup in my jacket a clump of rice, much to his eager delight. "How about we head back to the Noble District? It's getting windy out here and I can tell you're shivering." Akamaru tried to act tough, but quickly began shivering beneath my scarf. "Right, right. Mister tough guy. Well lets head back. I'm sure the shinobi tasked with observing me would rather be anywhere other than here."

With that my feet began carrying me back up the castle and into the Noble District. After crossing the gate leading to the upper most portion of the castle the lingering chill of being watched disappeared as soon as the guard at the gate allowed me passage. My eyes traveled up the side of the massive tower allowing me to appreciate just how much work went into the creation of this impressive piece of architecture. "Naruto?"

I glanced over my shoulder to see none other than Koyuki walking through the same gate as I did just moments prior. "Hello." The girl approached me with a bright smile on her face. Once in front of me the girl gave me a warm hug, much to my surprise and to Akamaru's discomfort.

"What are you doing standing out in the cold?" She asked after detaching from me. I removed my hood and smiled that oh so convincing fake smile that everyone seems to enjoy so much. It's been a while since someone has hugged me though.

"Waiting for you evidently." A slight blush washed over her face before she lightly punched my shoulder. "I just finished exploring a little bit. Where have you been?"

"I was sent to a few of the southern ports for…" Koyuki then scratched her head in confusion. "I'm not exactly sure why to be perfectly honest. My uncle said something about unrest in the area, but everyone seemed fine." The girl sighed as we walked into the massive marble lined house. "I swear that man is paranoid. He's been acting very strict of late."

"…" I didn't respond as we continued our trek through the mansion like tower.

"Is my father currently in talks with your diplomats?" Koyuki finally asked.

" _My_ diplomats?" She gave me a look that screamed 'you know what I meant', which made me chuckle. "From what I can tell."

"Then the shinobi I told about my return will have to wait to tell him." Akamaru barked, making the snow princess smile and pet the ninken. "What? Want some attention?"

"I presume you're tired?" I asked as we walked up the steps towards the top of the tower. Koyuki's room was right below her father's which meant she had a rather far hike to the top.

"Yeah. Traveling can very exhausting." We stopped in front of my room and an uneasy silence fell over us. It looked like she wanted to say something, but was having trouble finding the right words.

"Well have a good rest. I'm sure your father will be happy to hear of your return." I stated as I went to open my door.

"Uh… Naruto…?" I stopped and glanced over my shoulder in curiosity.

"Hmm…?"

"I…" She looked embarrassed about something and was stumbling over her words.

"…?"

"Can you come to my room please?"

"Um, sure? What for?"

"Just follow me." Koyuki proceeded to grab my hand and pull me up the steps until we finally reached her room. She then closed the door after pulling me inside. The room was decorated much like mine, but with an obvious female touch that just screamed Koyuki. "So what do you think?"

"Looks kind of like mine… except more of you." The snow princess giggled at my words and looked about her room as well.

"When this tower was built I don't think my father was thinking he was going to have a kid, and since the marble can't be changed because of the technology built into the walls I made due with what I had." Koyuki said as she ran her hand over the wood of her dresser.

"You did a fantastic job." She smiled and turned to me.

"Thanks." Koyuki stared at me for a moment as she thought over her next words very carefully. "I bet you're wondering why I dragged you here."

"Not really." She looked confused for a moment as I went to speak again. "I was just enjoying being dragged into a pretty girl's room." This made Koyuki blush deeply as she recognized how this must have looked to anyone who saw her dragging me up to her room.

"S-Shut up. T-That's not why I brought you here." She mumbled, but this only served to entertain me further.

"Right, right. So why _did_ you bring me here?" A feint blush still lingered on her cheeks as she went to speak.

"I wanted to know if… I could travel with you back to Konoha?"

"You needed to bring me to your room to ask me that?" I asked in confusion.

"N-No. Well, yes. I don't know…" She was blushing and stumbling over her words. The snow princess wanted to say something else, but was having a hard time doing it.

"Relax. I'm sure my father will be fine with it, but I'm not so sure about yours. Didn't he say he wanted you to stay close by?"

"Yeah, but I really want to travel. I'm tired of being cooped up on this frozen island."

"Then how about we meet your father for dinner and talk about it. This time I'll try and convince him as well." I was then quickly enveloped into another tight hug, and much to Akamaru's continual discomfort, that I realized just how much it meant to her.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have no idea how much it would mean to me if you could convince him to let me see the Land of Fire!" I blinked in confusion at her sudden show of affection, but returned it nonetheless.

"I'll try my best." I replied before removing myself from her embrace. "Now get some rest and I'll meet you for dinner." She nodded her head as I turned to leave, but stopped when Koyuki spoke one last time.

"And Naruto…" I looked over my shoulder to feel lips peck my cheek. "Thanks."

"Not a problem." With that I left the glowing girl in her room to return to my own. Unbeknownst to me a feint blush appeared on my cheeks and I rubbed where I had been kissed. Underneath the surface a feeling had punched its way through the numbness that had blanketed over my being since the beginning of my training with Danzo. 'What the hell was that?' Yes I could act nice and be a proper human being when I needed to, but this…? I had worked so hard to _remove_ these emotions, but now? I never wanted to destroy my love for my home, or my family for that matter, but as I killed my feelings my bonds to the place I called home began to dampen somewhat. The connections that held me to Konoha, and the ones I loved, had weakened for reasons that eluded me. Was it all the killing? Or was it possibly the mark on the back of my hand? No… it wasn't the mark. The mark was just a tool that made taking another's life easier.

I had to continuously force myself to remember why I was killing other people. It was to numb these emotions that got in my way so when the time was right I wouldn't hesitate. Yes… I did all this to protect my home, my sister, and the ones that are precious to me. To remove these tumors before they spread.

And I would keep killing until they've been uprooted and destroyed; no matter the cost.

 **XxXxX**

"What is it you wanted to tell me Ibiki? As you can see I'm sort of busy." Minato said as he looked at the pile of paperwork that had accumulated onto his desk.

"Yes, Hokage-sama I will be prudent with my report. Have you heard of the string of murders that have appeared throughout the village?" Ibiki asked, making the commander of the village nod his head. "I believe their all connected."

"Explain." Minato said, now giving the T&I officer his full attention.

"While murder isn't completely uncommon, the sudden uptick in the crime has occurred over the past three to four months can be attributed largely to a single individual." Ibiki explained as he placed a manila folder he was holding onto Minato's desk. To which the Hokage opened and began reading. "A mixture of poison, cuts, or 'accidents' are all listed, and each are different from one another."

"Then how can you assume that one man was responsible for all these crimes?" Minato asked as he looked up from the folder that was given to him.

"Because there was a survivor at one of his latest attacks. A child no older than six years old was left quivering in a closet while the prosecutor murdered his mother and father. Please, read the report."

"So you had Inoichi come in to reveal more information on the murder? Smart…" Minato then continued reading until it came to the part where the murder happened. "'The boy was looking out from between the crack of a closet to see a shade of a man take a kitchen knife and slice his father's throat. His mom screamed and soon after she was swiftly silenced. It's too dark to see anything about him, but when the deed was done a pair of… purple glowing eyes looked at the closet that the boy was hiding in before he silently left.' So it's him…"

"This is a professional we're talking about here, and not just a professional shinobi. This man is an assassin that works for the highest bidder. He knows as well as anyone else that if he doesn't constantly change the way he approaches a target then we would eventually get wind of his work."

"You know people have actually given him a name?" Minato said as he looked out over the village that he called home. "The 'Phantom' is what he's been dubbed by many, but this didn't start until he attacked the Uchiha girl." The man frowned as he thought over what this meant for the village. "And to think he's somewhere in this village, right now. He could be any one of these people. How are we supposed to catch him if we don't know who he is?"

"I've thought over many scenarios and ideas, but the man doesn't take any jobs that he deems unsafe for his cover. He's very… particular when it comes to who he works for."

"I could send out some of my ANBU to search for him, but if he's as good as people make him out to be than it would be a fruitless endeavor. For now all we can do is place him in the Bingo Book as a wanted man until we're able to catch up to him."

"What do you want his listed rank to be?"

"I'm not sure because his only known attributes are an unknown doujutsu and that's it." Minato thought for a while before looking to the T&I commander with a stern expression. "Mark him as a C-Rank criminal until we have more information on him, and continue to keep an eye out for the…boy. You never know when he'll slip up." It was hard for the blonde leader to say 'boy' because the culprit looked to be the same age as his children.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Ibiki said before leaving the office.

'To think that someone so young would kill so willingly. I know there's people out there that would do this, but here? In Konoha?' The man sighed before slumping back into his chair. This really didn't need to be happening when they were so close to hosting the Chunin Exams.

 **XxXxX**

"Well if it isn't Naruto! Come sit and enjoy the food!" Sōsetsu said with enthusiasm as I entered the dining room. Koyuki was seated in the place where I had first met her and I took a seat in the same place as before as well. A large buffet had been placed before us and the Daimyō was practically drooling over the spread.

"Sorry that I'm late." I apologized as one of the butlers began placing food onto my plate. I placed Akamaru onto one of the chairs next to me and he whined at not being inside my jacket.

"Not to worry. My brother said that he wanted to come, but something urgent came up that needed tending to. Hopefully it's nothing serious…" Sōsetsu said before taking a bite of his food. "Anyway I hear that you two wanted to ask me something?"

"Right… well… how should I ask this?" Koyuki said as she stumbled over her words.

"I wanted to extend a personal invitation to Koyuki to visit my home in Konoha." Sōsetsu furrowed a brow at this, but then went into deep thought.

"Listen dad. I want to see what it's like outside the Land of Snow and I can't do that by listening to stories from others, or reading books. I need to see it for myself." Koyuki tried to explain, but Sōsetsu was still in deep thought.

"And you can guarantee her safety if she were to travel with you to Konoha?" Sōsetsu asked after a moment of thought. I nodded my head, making him nod his as well. "Then I'll allow it."

"Now I know what you're going to say, not- What?!" Koyuki stared at her father like he had grown a second head.

"I said it was fine for you to travel to Konoha." Sōsetsu said with an even tone, one that I had picked up.

'He wants to send his daughter away before this disaster takes place. Has he learned of what is to happen, or at the very least caught wind of it?'

The snow princess looked to me in shock at just how easy it was to convince him. "I… thanks?"

"Right, right well lets continue eating! I'm famished!" Sōsetsu said, which signaled us to begin eating as well. Koyuki was certainly happier and continued talking away, but something was wrong. It was as if something was tickling the back of neck, but everything looked in order. The three some odd shinobi in the room would glance at one another with tension in their eyes, but to the Kazahana's everything seemed to move along like normal. Even Akamaru was unfazed by this feeling.

After dinner the three of us began our ascent up the tower towards our rooms with Koyuki talking our ears off the entire way, but Sōsetsu was noticeably quiet. When we stopped by my room I bowed deeply to the two, but Koyuki wasn't having any of it. She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me in, but this time Akamaru was by my feet.

"Thanks again for your help." She whispered into my ear before releasing me and skipping to her father, who smiled at the scene.

"See you in the morning Naruto." Sōsetsu said with a bow as he walked up the steps with his daughter. I entered my room and immediately frowned.

"Akamaru?" The pup barked to acknowledge he was listening. "Go tell Kiba that something is wrong. I don't know what it is, but something feels off." Akamaru looked at me in confusion, which made me sigh and kneel down to him. "I don't what it is, but something's going to happen. Go warn them just in case. Please." Over the course of our travels together the young dog had grown to trust me just as I had grown to trust his instincts as well.

The ninken barked in acknowledgement as I opened the door to allow him passage. "I hope this is nothing, but good luck nonetheless." Akamaru nodded his head before slipping out into the hallway.

 **XxXxX**

"Thanks again for letting me leave with Naruto back to Konoha, dad." Koyuki said with a bright smile as she sat onto her father's bed. "I wonder what the Hidden Leaf village is like?"

"Warm I would presume." Sōsetsu said, making her daughter giggle at the comment.

"Besides that! Yukigakure has to be much smaller than Konoha, right?"

"From what I remember-." It was then a distant rumble could be heard off in the distance. Sōsetsu's eyes widened as he rushed to the balcony that overlooked his precious castle.

"Dad? Is something wrong?" Koyuki was getting worried by how her father's expression changed to dread. Another explosion rocked the area, but this time it was louder and the floor beneath them shook. Sōsetsu looked out over his castle and the surrounding town to see fire and smoke flow up into the night sky. "Dad?!"

"No… he actually did it." Sōsetsu said softly to himself. His worst fears were becoming reality right before his eyes. Screams of terror and pain filled the air as more explosions began ripping apart the tower that was considered by all a work of art, but that didn't matter right now. No, right now his main priority was to make sure his daughter escaped safely. "Come on Koyuki we're leaving." He turned, but became still when a man with long light purple hair stood at the door of his room.

"Hello Daimyō-sama." The man said with an evil smirk as he fully entered the room.

"You're a Yukigakure shinobi." Sōsetsu said as he watched as his daughter had quickly hid in one of the closets before the man had entered the room. "What happened to my personal guard?"

"Dead I would imagine, but enough with the chit chat. My name is Nadare Rōga, and I had been ordered to come and make sure you died in this collapsing building." As Rōga said this another explosion rocked the foundation of the building and smoke began entering the room from the door.

"Why are you doing this?" Sōsetsu asked as he took a step back as Rōga moved closer with kunai in hand.

"Because you're weak and too soft hearted for this ninja world. Your brother will lead us to new heights that the Land of Snow has never seen before! But…" Rōga brandished his knife as he moved to kill the man. "First you must die for his vision to come true."

"No!" Koyuki shouted as she burst from the closet, making the shinobi look over to her with a bored expression.

"Well what do we have here? Is that your daughter I see?" Rōga said with a grin. The princess looked shocked at how he was looking at her and backed away somewhat. "I was ordered to kill her too if I found her, but he didn't say anything about having a little fun before then."

"You monster! I will never-!" The kunai in Rōga's hand was quickly shoved into Sōsetsu's chest, making him crumble to floor in pure shock.

"Dad!" Koyuki shouted, but before she could run to his side she was grabbed by the Yukigakure shinobi from behind. "Let me go you freak!"

"Freak? That's not very nice to say to your lover now is it?" Koyuki eyes then widened as she thought over what was about to happen to her. "Don't worry. I'll make sure you become a woman before you die. I promise."

Tears began to well up in the ice princess's eyes as she struggled against her bonds. She was desperate. Her father was dead, her home was burning around her, and her entire world was crumbling before her eyes. With nothing else to lean on, she called out for the only one that she knew could come to her aid.

"Naruto!" She screamed at the top her lungs. "Naruto! Please help me!"

 **XxXxX**

Akamaru sat before Team 8 as they all looked at him in confusion. He had just finished trying to explain to Kiba what was going on, but the Inuzuka seemed to not completely understand what he was trying to say. They were currently in the lobby of their hotel trying to understand what the dog was trying to convey.

"So let me get this straight. Naruto says that something weird is going on and wants us to be on alert?" Kiba said, trying his best to understand his ninken's words. Akamaru barked in approval as he finally understood what he was trying to tell them. "Something weird? I wonder what he meant?"

"I'm not sure, but if Naruto-kun says something is happening than I believe him." Hinata commented.

"I do too, but we can't do anything unless we know exactly what's going on." Kurenai said before looking to the pup that had come to warn them. "Tell us Akamaru, did Naruto say exactly what was going on that had him so worried?" Akamaru barked a few times to his master, to which Kiba listened intently.

"He says that Naruto was going on a gut feeling, but Akamaru seems to believe him. He says something about Naruto having good instincts or something." Kiba then looked at Akamaru with a sheepish grin. "Looks like someone is beginning to warm up to a certain blonde. Enjoying your time with him?" Akamaru looked away in embarrassment, making his master howl in laughter.

"What are we going to do sensei?" Shino asked, making the genjutsu master go into deep thought.

"Konoha shinobi." A man said as he approached them. He was a Yukigakure shinobi and three more shinobi stood behind him.

"What can we do for you?" Kurenai asked politely, but the Snow shinobi held their even look.

"We ask that you pack your things and please be ready to leave with your diplomats immediately." The man said, making Team 8 tense at the orders.

"But diplomatic talks have not yet ended. Why would we leave?" Kurenai countered.

"Because by order of Lord Dotō Kazahana all diplomatic talks have been halted until further notice. Please, we urge you to move as quickly as possible." The man said, but then a distant rumble could be heard in the distance. Probably from the town that lay beneath the castle.

"What was that?" Kiba asked, but this only served to aggravate the man.

"Your top priority is the safety of your diplomats. Not the internal affairs of the Land of Snow. Now pack your things and be ready to leave in fifteen minutes. Do you understand me?" This time his voice held authority that demanded to be listened to, and with three other shinobi behind him, all probably high Chunin to low Jonin, Team 8 had to follow their orders.

"We will follow your orders, but we still need to extract one Namikaze Naruto from the tower in the Noble District. We have orders directly from the Hokage to make sure he stays safe. We aren't leaving without him." Kurenai said, but the men grinned at her words.

"Do not worry about the Hokage's son. Our men within the castle are personally escorting him, along with Koyuki and Sōsetsu Kazahana, out of harm's way. Now be prepared to escort your diplomats to safety. We will deliver the boy to you at a safe location outside the borders of the castle." Kurenai stared at the man in distrust before nodding her head.

"As you wish." Kurenai said, much to her team's surprise.

"What?! We can't just leave him! We've got to-!" Kiba exclaimed, but stopped when his sensei gave him a short glare.

"Lets get the diplomats ready to move." Kurenai said as she began walking up the steps to their rooms.

"Sensei, we aren't really…?" Hinata said in fear. She didn't want to leave her crush behind, and neither did everyone else in the group as well.

"No. We aren't leaving Naruto behind. Shino and Kiba, I want you two to prepare the diplomats for transportation. Hinata, you're coming with me. Use your Byakugan to scan for Naruto while we push our way through the tower. Once we find him we'll rendezvous with you on the outskirts of the city." Kurenai explained as they moved through the hallway towards the diplomat's rooms.

"But won't the Snow ninja realize that you aren't with us when we escort them down to the carriage?" Kiba asked.

"At first we'll all move to the carriage like they want us to, but Hinata and I will enter the carriage along with the diplomats. From there I'll create a genjutsu that will cover Hinata and I until we make it to the tower." Kurenai then knocked on the door to the diplomats room. "Do we understand the plan?" The Genin all nodded their heads in unison when the door opened to reveal Kajime.

"Have you all heard those explosions? What's going on out there?" The man asked in concern.

"Nothing we can't handle, but we've been asked to escort you out of the castle. So please pack your things quickly. We're leaving in the next ten minutes." Kurenai said.

"I assume we're leaving the blonde brat behind? Good riddance. At least if he dies here than his death could be used as leverage for-." Kajime went to say, but a hand was quickly smashed across his face. To the rest of Team 8's surprise it was Hinata who was the offender. Even she looked surprised by her actions, but quickly recovered from her initial shock.

"Don't you _dare_ talk about Naruto-kun like that." Hinata said with a bit of poison in her words. Kajime glared back at her before walking back into his room to begin gathering their stuff.

"Whoa… remind me to never get on your bad side Hinata." Kiba said offhandedly before moving to the next diplomat's room.

"Your emotions can be sorted out later. We have a mission to complete and leaving Naruto behind isn't a part of it. Lets finish up here and begin our extraction of all VIP's." Kurenai said to her team.

'Who would have thought this mission would turn out like this…' The Jonin instructor thought in annoyance.

 **XxXxX**

It was at that moment Koyuki decided to open her eyes to see someone standing at the doorway of her father's room. He wore the same dark clothes as Naruto did, but the hood was up and the scarf was wrapped around the bottom portion of his face. It was his clothes all right, but what scared her was the glowing purple eyes that sprang out from beneath the darkness. "Naru… to?" Even Rōga remained silent as he looked at the opposing figure standing before them. The air in room had become much more tense and death seemed to flow all around the boy that stood before them.

"You're Naruto Namikaze? The Hokage's son that can't perform jutsu? I thought my partners had taken care of you?" Rōga questioned, but the purple eyes slowly looked over to the man that was currently laying on the ground with a kunai sticking out of his chest. "Well, no matter. Wait here darling while I take out the trash." Another rumble shook the tower as the snow Shinobi approached the dark figure after throwing Koyuki onto the bed.

"…" Those purple eyes returned to Rōga as said shinobi wore a cocky grin while approaching him. Rōga wore the same chakra armor as the every other shinobi in the Land of Snow.

"I don't know how you managed to slip past my partners, but this is where you die. Those glowing purple eyes aren't going to save you now." Another kunai appeared in his hand as he continued to walk towards the black garbed figure, but just as he was about to raise his arm to kill the boy a foot was smashed into the side of his head. Sending him flying away and out onto the large balcony.

"Naruto?" Koyuki said barely above a whisper. The boy she knew as Naruto was walking towards the balcony along with a spectral figure that looked just like him… The specter even had his glowing purple eyes and one could see the shape of his clothes as well, except everything looked like it was clouded by a black haze. The real Naruto, however, stopped and looked over to Koyuki who shrunk under his intense gaze. Was this what he had been hiding all this time?

"…" His gaze was intense, but the short lived connection disappeared when he slowly walked out onto the balcony where Rōga had stood before wiping away the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Looks like the rumors about you not being able to use chakra are false. Should have known that Konoha would try and hide your abilities away from the world. Especially if you have a doujutsu." Rōga said before forming handseals. "No matter. We're in my territory now! **Hyōton: Hyōrō no Jutsu**!" As the words sprang from his mouth two ice pillars surrounded the cloaked boy and his shade, restricting his movements and creating a prison for the both of them. "Easy. Now I just need to-."

It was then an immense pain erupted from his back as blood shot from the newly created wound in all directions. Rōga stumbled forwards before looking behind him to see the very same boy from before standing in an almost bored stance. "H-How? I trapped you within…?" He then looked up at his prison to see two spectral forms of the black cloaked boy within. 'He switched places with his clone, but to do it so fast!' "So you slipped out of my prison and landed an attack on me. That doesn't mean you've won! Take this!" He then shoved his hand towards the black garbed boy and splinters of ice sprang out from the pillars that had captured the spectral clones. Just as the splinters were about to connect the ice was quickly parried away by just as many invisible blades. Each and every ice needle was redirected to the side, making Rōga panic. He had no idea what was happening. "What the hell are you?!" More needles shot themselves towards the shaded figure, but they were all parried just like the last set. Desperation kicked in as he began forming handsigns once again. " **Hyōton: Doragonburizādo**!" A massive white ice dragon then erupted from the snow and ice around him before shooting towards the figure. Said figure stopped and stared at the dragon, but just as the dragon was about to hit the mantle he had reappeared next to where the explosion had occurred.

With the ice dragon successfully countered he began slowly walking towards Rōga. "G-Get away from me you demon!" More ice needles flew towards him, but this time the needles all pierced an empty spot. Before Rōga could respond the boy was standing mere inches away from him with his hand on his chest.

"Thank you… for letting me test my abilities." Was all he said before a spray of blood erupted from Rōga's neck thanks to a wind blade.

 **XxXxX**

My eyes watched as the shinobi fell to the side, a lifeless corpse of the once cocky person he was. I looked up at the ice pillars to see my spectral forms disappear from within their prison. Allowing me access to them once again if the situation called for it. I stepped over the body of Rōga and walked back into the Daimyō's room to see Koyuki crying over her father's body. When I approached her she looked up to me before jumping back in fear. My Dark Vision was still on, probably making me look more intimidating.

"I-Is that you u-under there?" Koyuki asked as I deactivated Dark Vision and lifted my hood to reveal my face. It took her a moment before she stood and crashed her body into my own. We stayed like this for a moment before another rumble shook the ground. "What you did before… I thought you couldn't use chakra?"

"What you saw earlier. You cannot tell a single person about it. Do you understand?" My voice demanded that she follow my order… or else. "No matter who they are. My father, sister, doesn't matter. This is a secret between you, and me." The girl nodded her head, actually sort of happy that I had entrusted a secret so important in her. "Good. Now about your father."

We walked over to the man that was laying on the ground. The kunai was still stuck in him, but a pool of crimson blood surrounded him. I knelt down to see that his chest was still rising and falling. However everyone knew he was going to die. Including himself.

"N-Naruto?" Sōsetsu whispered out as he looked over to me. I held his hand and he gripped it as tightly as he could. "Y-You r-remember what w-we spoke of in the g-garden?" He then began coughing up some blood from the exertion of force.

"Yeah. I remember."

"Please… on your honor uphold that promise." I nodded my head, making him smile. "T-Thank you." He then turned to Koyuki, who was crying heavily. "I love you more than the world itself. Always remember that." He then tapped the necklace that was dangling around her neck. "And k-keep that with you. It's the k-key to… everything." He then looked up into the air with a sad expression. "I-I guess this is the end. It hurts so much."

"The kunai was laced with poison…" I then looked to Koyuki, who was about to have a mental breakdown. "I… can make it quick. If you want." The princess looked appalled by what I had just said, but Sōsetsu smiled at the gesture.

"That would be… nice." He closed his eyes as I placed my hands onto the kunai.

"Naruto! Don't! Please don't stain your hands with anymore blood than you've already have!" Koyuki shouted, but I shook my head.

"It's far too late for that." I then twisted the kunai and Sōsetsu's breath hitched before stopping. I lifted my hand from the kunai and looked down at the now dead Daimyō.

'Mission… complete.'

 **XxXxX**

'Where the hell is that boy?' Kurenai thought as the two kunoichi quickly shot through the crumbling tower. They didn't have long before the building collapsed in on itself and she was going to make sure that the Hokage's son wasn't going to die under her supervision. "What do you see Hinata?"

"Nothing! It looks like everyone was evacuated before the bombing began!" Hinata replied. "Sensei… do you really think he's…?"

"If there's one thing I've learned about Naruto during our travels is that he's resourceful. He's probably at the top of the tower with the Daimyō and her daughter." Kurenai reassured. The Hyuga nodded her head and they continued running as fast as they could. As they neared the top of the tower, Hinata's eyes widened.

"I think I see them!" Hinata exclaimed, but when they came upon the door a flaming metal pipe had blocked their entrance. "They're on the other side of this door!"

Kurenai cursed under her breath at the burning pipe before pulling Hinata back. "Help me with this!" She then pulled out a kunai with an explosive tag strapped to the back. Hinata did the same and both kunoichi shot their weapons towards the pipe. The following explosion destroyed the pipe and the door behind it.

After the explosion occurred the two kunoichi jumped into the room to see their blonde companion helping a distraught ice princess up. "Hinata? Kurenai?" Naruto asked in surprise. The Hyuga held a hand to chest in relief.

"Looks like we made it just in time. This place is about to fall over and we don't have much time!" Kurenai exclaimed before picking up Koyuki. The building itself felt like it was starting to lean, pushing them to act as fast as possible. "Hinata, help Naruto! Lets move!" The Hyuga nodded and wrapped Naruto's arm over her shoulder before following her sensei out onto the balcony, but when they shot through the door a rather gruesome sight met their eyes. A dead shinobi lay in the snow with his blood turning the white ice into a crimson red.

Hinata trembled somewhat at the sight, but a whisper came to her ears as Kurenai and Koyuki could be seen hopping over the edge of the balcony. "Are you okay Hinata?" Another rumble shook her from her thoughts just as the building began falling over.

"I'll protect you Naruto-kun!" Hinata shouted as the two dashed to the edge and jumped off. Pushing as much chakra into her feet as she could, the kunoichi struggled to lift both herself and Naruto as she slowed down against the side of the tower, but adrenaline can push many to do amazing things. Just as she was finding her strength the tower began leaning backwards, and while this alleviated some of the pressure Hinata was having it also meant that they needed to get off the building as soon as possible. With as much strength as she could muster Hinata shot towards the bottom of the tower. The building continued to lean backwards and just as it was about to crash the two jumped off to roughly land near the gate that connected the Noble District and the Diplomatic District. Hinata and Naruto rolled across the snow until finally coming to a stop.

"Ouch…" Hinata heard her blonde companion say before roughly standing.

"Are you okay?" Hinata asked as she too stood, but before she could get her bearings she was tackled to the ground once again. "N-Naruto?!" As the two slid away an explosion erupted above them, sending the top of the gate down where they once was.

"That was close." Naruto said as he rolled over onto his back with heavy breaths. Hinata stared at the boy for a moment, as if contemplating something, but then he looked over at her and smiled. "Guess it's my turn to ask if you're okay."

"Y-Yeah. Thanks." Hinata said as she watched the boy stand. He looked out over the burning tower with a frown gracing his features.

"Such a beautiful place. A shame it had to go up in flames." Naruto said as he helped Hinata up. The Hyuga didn't respond as she too observed the crumbled mass that was once Kazahana Tower. "I guess we should get going."

"Right. Follow me Naruto-kun." Hinata said before running off with the blonde following closely behind.

 **XxXxX**

It didn't take us long to move through the Diplomatic District. The buildings around us shot up in flames and the castle was largely abandoned. Even the Snow Shinobi had vacated the area. Unfortunately the Market District was a more tragic sight…

As we walked down the ramp charred bodies could be seen strewn across the street. Some had lost limbs, others simply on fire because of the sudden eruption of the bombs. Hinata gasped at the sight and did her best to look away from the horrid spectacle that lay before us. The numbness that covered me was thrown over my being once again in an attempt to push away those pesky emotions that continuously wanted to pop back up.

"So terrible…" Hinata whispered. I declined to comment and decided it best to continue on through the blood, snow, and fire. The only noise came from the crack of weakening support beams and the crunch of snow from our steps. As we walked, however, I stopped in front of a specific building. It was on fire, like every other building within these castle walls, but what made me frown was the body of a certain chef laying out front. I could only hope that Koyuki didn't see this sight when Kurenai carried her past here. "Naruto?" My eyes were cold and guarded as I looked at the body before me. "Did you know her?"

"… No. No I didn't." I responded before walking past the Hyuga. Leaving a very concerned doujutsu user in my wake. We finally made it to the gate leading out of the Market District and to the town below, and to my surprise the gate was left open. I suppose this made sense from a political standpoint. Dotō didn't want to kill _everyone_ in the castle. His main targets was his brother and his niece, but it would seem that the kage didn't mind a few innocent causalities along the way.

From where we stood the two of us had a good vantage point looking down the ramp leading to the surrounding town, and just like within the walls, everything was up in flames. The single road that led out towards the snow covered flatlands beyond was lined with even more bodies and burning debris. 'Seems like Dotō was also trying to send a message while killing his brother. Ruthless… but effective.'

"This is horrible. Who would do something like this?" Hinata asked aloud, reminding me that Team 8 had no idea what was going on. For all they knew it was an attack by a foreign village and not a coup d'état. The girl looked to me for some sort of comfort, but only emotionless eyes stared out at the silent graveyard before us. Snow had begun to fall onto the bodies, making sure to preserve them for any would be travelers that would want to visit this smoldering ruin. Hinata frowned at the sight before I began walking away. "Naruto-kun?" I stopped and waited for her to speak without turning to face her. "What happened to you?"

"…" I knew what she was talking about. My sister, Ayame, and several people had noticed my change, but for Hinata to see it? That surprised me.

"Do you remember the day you stopped those bullies from beating me up? It was snowing just like it was now." Hinata said, surprising me again by not stuttering over words. "That was several years ago, but I remember it to this day."

"And I gave you my scarf. Yes, I remember." I replied back in an even tone.

"It was one of the happiest days of my life. Someone had actually stood up for me, but back then you smiled so brightly that it could have melted the snow." The girl frowned as she stared at my back. "But now you don't smile like you used to." So she's noticed my fake personality that I wear when I'm around other people. She continues to surprise me with her keen observations.

"Sorry Hinata, but I don't know what to say except… sorry." Hinata, for the first time in a long time, grit her teeth and balled her hands into fists. She was agitated by the person that stood before her. Long gone were the days that her imagination floated back to the shining sun that protected her that day. What could have happened that morphed such a vibrant personality into an empty husk of what it once was?

My feet began to move down the ramp, but I was stopped once again except this time it was because of a hand was placed onto my shoulder. "Was it someone in the village that did this to you?" Why did Hinata care about me so much that she would go to such lengths for an answer? Yes, she had a crush on me, but even still!

"…" I remained silent to her question because it wasn't just one person. Sure the people that would constantly berate me about being a parasite was a portion of what changed me, but in reality I knew exactly who the main culprit behind my drastic change of personality was. It wasn't Minato. It wasn't Danzo.

It was… me.

My silence seemed to confirm her suspicions as her eyes darkened somewhat. "Who?"

"I'm sorry Hinata, but you wouldn't have the strength to face him." I felt her grip tighten on my shoulder as my words sunk into her conscious.

"Then I'll become stronger. Strong enough to face this person and change you back." Hinata said as I glanced over my shoulder. No longer was there the shy girl from before. Her eyes were now full of determination to become stronger and strike down this person, but little did she know the person she wanted to face was me.

"Then become stronger, but please do me a favor." Hinata gave me a curious gaze as I poked her forehead protector. "Never change who you are. Especially for someone else." Her eyes widened at my comment before she nodded her head. "Good. Now if you could…" I motioned for her hand on my shoulder and an audible 'eep' could be heard as she jumped back with a blush on her face. 'Well there goes that determination.'

"L-Lets get moving. I-I'm s-sure my team is w-waiting." Hinata quickly said before moving past me. A small smile appeared on my face as I watched the girl walk away. Leaf shinobi are too nice for their own good.

And so we walked through the remaining portion of Castle Kazahana; which consisted of the town that surrounded the outside edge of the wall. More bodies were seen burning in the streets, but for the most part it looked as if most of the people made it out. Hinata did her best to avoid the sight of the dead, but she needed to keep her doujutsu activated just in case there was any hidden threats that still lingered about. After finally exiting the smoldering ruins of the town we came upon the vast open plains that made up the mountain valley before us. Why was there no Snow Shinobi in the area? I could have sworn that they would be swarming this place to make sure priority targets were handled, but it seems Dotō wanted to keep is hands as clean as possible when it came to this situation. By saying that this act of terrorism was done by an outside force he could hope to quell any possible outside intervention on behalf of the daimyō's daughter. The coming political shit storm will certainly be interesting to watch.

"What do you think will happen to Koyuki?" Hinata asked as we walked down the barren road towards wherever the rest of Team 8 had decided to set their rendezvous.

"Whatever your sensei decides I presume." Hinata gave me a look of uncertainty.

"I hope we don't abandon her the moment we get to the Land of Hot Springs…" Hinata said with concern laced into her voice.

"…" I doubt that would happen, but Kurenai did seem like the 'go by the book' type of person so it was certainly possible. The rest of our walk to the tree line was done in silence. I could tell that she wanted to speak to me about whatever was on her mind, but the determination that she had shown me earlier had been sapped from her body and I simply didn't care enough to pursue another dialogue pertaining to how I ended up the way I was.

"I was beginning to get worried that you two weren't going to make it." Kurenai said as we approached the carriage. The diplomats, along with Koyuki, looked to be inside the small moving structure while Kiba and Shino stood outside shivering from the cold. All of them, including Hinata, wore a tan cloak that helped against the brisk winds that the land was oh so happy to provide.

"What took you two so long anyway? Did you stop for takeout?" Kiba remarked offhandedly, but this made Hinata flinch as the dead came flying back into the forefront of her memory. They must not have seen the aftermath of the bombings on their way out of the castle…

"Kiba quiet." Kurenai said with a stern voice, making the boy mumble and walk away.

"Koyuki asleep?" I asked, to which Kurenai nodded her head.

"She's going to need it. Everything she's ever known was just burnt to the ground in front of her eyes." The Jonin said as we approached the carriage to see all the diplomats sleeping inside as well. With four people inside there was little room for anyone else, which meant I was sitting up front with Kurenai again.

"What's the plan?" I questioned as I looked out over the field we had just crossed and to the burning castle beyond.

"Get out of the Land of Snow as fast as possible. Hopefully we can find someone willing to transport us across the sea to the Land of Hot Water when we reach one of the ports." Kurenai explained as she climbed up onto the seat and took the reins of horses. "Care to join me?" I nodded my head and climbed up onto the seat next to her before pulling my scarf over my mouth. "Same as before team. Formation Charlie. It shouldn't take us long to reach a port if we move fast enough."

"Yes ma'am!" The three Genin replied in unison before stepping into position around the carriage.

"Alright Team 8. Move out!"

 **XxXxX**

We did our best to avoid interaction with anyone while we made our two and a half hour trek to the nearest port. While traveling at night in one of the coldest places on earth is normally a bad idea we decided it was best to move as quickly as possible.

"Kurenai." I commented as we saw the lights in the distance. It seems we were nearing the port town that we had originally entered. "How much do you know about the bombings from earlier?"

"Not much. I can guess that it doesn't involve any outside villages, but beyond that I'm clueless." Kurenai said as she bundled up more beneath her heavy cloak. "Why? Do you know something that I don't?"

"From what I can tell it was an uprising from the daimyō's brother. I don't know why he did it, but I know he's involved." I replied as I pulled my scarf further over my mouth and nose.

"I see… and you're sure of this?" I nodded my head at her question making her sigh deeply. "Then traveling with Koyuki is even more dangerous than I initially thought."

"What was your plan for the princess?"

"I was going to drop her off at the port and let her travel to the Hidden Snow Village, but if her uncle is behind this than she isn't safe within the country anymore." Kurenai said as we passed into the town where oil lamps could be seen hanging from polls. Not very many people walked about in the streets, but enough to know that people lived here. I wonder if anyone knew of what happened at Kazahana Castle? If I had to guess then probably not, but by morning I'm sure everyone will know of the exchange of power.

"Is that your answer?" I asked as we approached a dock that had people working on a ship. A man stood within the confines of a small ticket booth like building except a small fireplace could be seen near the back.

"How can I help you?" The man asked in an almost bored tone.

"We're the Konoha diplomatic team and we'd like to procure a ride to the Land of Hot Water." Kurenai said, to which the man's eyes widened after seeing the headband on her head.

"Well the last ship left about an hour ago, but I'm sure we can work something out if you're willing to pay a little extra." The man replied as he began scrambling through the stacks of folders.

"Whatever gets us on a ship and sailing tonight." Kurenai replied as he finally found the correct folder.

"Alright if you'd please move to dock three, the boys will prep the ship to leave as soon as possible." He said as he handed Kurani a folder. "Safe travels." Kurenai nodded her head in appreciation before moving the carriage towards dock three. When we approached the ship we could see about five people yawning and prepping a rather small ship for travel.

"To think we have a private voyage tonight of all nights!" One of the sailors said in annoyance as he watched one of his men slip on the ice that had covered the wooden dock. "Get your ass up and get moving! I want to be back by morning!"

"Are you the captain?" Kurenai asked as we hopped off the carriage and approached the older looking man.

"I am. Sato's the name." Sato replied in annoyance. "And you must be the diplomatic team?" Kurenai nodded as Hinata began waking up the people inside the carriage. "Well get your ass's on. I don't have all night."

"What a cheery guy." Kiba whispered as Sato walked away to yell at someone else.

"So it looks like you managed to save the Hokage's son. How swell…" Kajime stated as everyone slowly exited the carriage. The last person to exit was Koyuki, and to nobody's surprise her eyes held the look of someone who has lost everything. She stared at the ground in deep depression before looking around at the group. Finally her eyes landed on me and the ice princess slowly walked over before simply pressing her body against mine. She let her head drop onto my shoulder and simply sit there. "And why, pray I ask, do we have the daimyō's daughter with us?"

"When we went to save Naruto we found Koyuki there as well so we decided to save them both." Kurenai explained, but this only made the diplomat sigh.

"What's the matter? Kurenai-sensei did the right thing!" Kiba exclaimed, to which Akamaru barked in agreement.

"While that was the right thing to do in a moral sense, politically Konoha will receive a lot of backlash." Kajime stated.

"If word gets out that Konoha played a part in the bombings of Kazahana Castle than the other villages will see this as Konoha making a move to gain more power in the country." Nao stated as she rubbed her hands together to relieve some of the cold that bit at her hands. "And if Konoha is seen stirring up trouble than the Fire Daimyō may receive some trouble as well."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Kurenai asked as she crossed her arms.

"Wipe our hands clean of the situation. Leave Koyuki here and disembark back to Konoha." Kajime said with a firm expression. I could feel Koyuki's body tense as the words left the diplomat's mouth.

"What?! We can't just leave her here!" Kiba exclaimed, but Kajime's expression never changed. Nao looked neutral on the comment, but Shou seemed… less than enthusiastic about the idea.

"If we left her here than nobody would ever know of Konoha's involvement in Kazahana Castle's bombing. It's the best course of action to save your village, and our daimyo, from any political blowback." Kajime explained.

"And what would happen to Koyuki if she stayed? It's her uncle that led the coup d'état. With her father dead, the next in line of succession would be Koyuki." Kurenai explained.

"I don't know, but it doesn't involve Konoha, the Land of Fire, or us in particular. Everything that happened here is an _internal_ struggle for the Land of Snow. We don't know who supported Dotō in the uprising or if there's going to be a civil war for all we know! It's best if we turn away from the situation and let it play out without us playing a part." Kajime stated, making Kurenai sigh. No matter how terrible it sounded, it kind of made sense. Was she really willing to put her village on the line to save a princess from another nation? What if this action led to a war with another hidden village?

"I suppose we don't have any other choice." Kurenai said in a sad tone, making Koyuki grip onto my coat even tighter.

"You can't be serious sensei!" Kiba exclaimed in shock.

"If we leave her then she will likely be executed by her uncle." Shino said in a matter of fact voice, but still one could hear the underlining disapproval in his voice.

"But I can't put her life above the wellbeing's of the village." Kurenai said in a downtrodden voice. "Unfortunately she will have to-."

"But I think it's already too late for that…" I said, making everyone in the group turn to me.

"What do you mean it's already too late you stupid brat?" Kajime asked in annoyance.

"Because we are going to be involved whether we bring her with us or not. Well, we're going to be seen as involved anyway." I stated as I detached the traumatized princess away from me.

"What do you mean?" Kurenai said, but it was Shou who answered.

"From another village's prospective the bombing occurred while Konoha, and subsequently the Land of Fire, had a diplomatic team within their walls. If an opposing village wanted, they could create a parallel between the two and use it against us. Saying that we played a part in Dotō's uprising." Shou explained, to which I nodded my head.

"Exactly, but if we save Koyuki and bring her back with us then she can testify against such claims." I continued. Kajime glared at me, but Nao was thinking over the idea in her head.

"It makes sense. Our visit to the Land of Fire was already made public before our departure from the capital. Meaning anyone could put the blame on Konoha if they so desired." Nao commented.

"But we have no guarantee that Miss Kazahana will speak in our defense." Kajime stated, but then Koyuki walked up next to me in determination.

"I give you my word that if anyone puts blame on you, or your Hidden Village, that I will speak in your defense." Koyuki stated.

"You say that now, but can we truly risk her changing her mind in the future?" Kajime questioned, but this made Koyuki glare at the man. Who was he to question where her loyalties lie?

"Naruto put his life on the line to save my fathers, and my own life. I owe him a debt that cannot be easily repaid." Koyuki's features hardened as she stared the diplomat down. "Don't you dare question my loyalties."

"We shall see then…" Kajime replied cryptically.

"Are you just going to stand out here in the snow all night or are we going to get a move on?" Sato asked as he approached us. Evidently the sailors had moved the carriage onto the ship and were waiting for us to board.

"What is your decision Kurenai? Since this is your mission the decision falls to you." Nao asked as all eyes turned to her. The crimson eyed Jonin stood in deep thought as Sato tapped his foot in annoyance.

"Can you make up your mind already? We're burning moonlight here." Sato said, pressuring her even further. She could see the arguments from both sides, and to her credit Kurenai knew next to nothing about the now deceased daimyo's daughter. Meaning she could see both sides from a neutral standpoint, but if she put so much trust in the Hokage's son then…

"Fine. Koyuki, get on the ship. We're taking you to Konoha with us." Kurenai said, making Koyuki smile brightly. She turned to me with a smile I hadn't seen since her father agreed to let her travel, albeit hollow.

"Looks like you get to see Konoha after all." I commented, but she simply hugged me tightly. Team 8, and the two other diplomats, minus Kajime, all smiled at the scene before them. Even if Hinata was a little jealous, she was happy that they didn't have to leave someone to their probable death.

"Whatever, just get on the damn ship will ya?" Sato said as he climbed up onto the ship. One by one everyone followed until finally I walked up the steps to see everyone entering the cabin where a fire could be seen burning and letting its smoke out a pipe in the roof. It was a waiting room for people to sit and get warm while we took the cold trek to the Land of Hot Springs. "Alright boys! Get below deck and set a course to the Hot Springs!"

The ship began to slowly move away from the snow covered 'island' and into the open sea. The island of the Land of Snow, while considered an island, has about half the landmass of the Land of Fire. It's just that a large portion of the north is tundra and virtually uninhabitable. Only manned outposts set up by Yukigakure are seen beyond a certain point, and their only purpose was to alarm the village of any hidden attack from their north. It was unlikely, but still… better safe than sorry.

I moved towards the cabin that housed the fire, but Kajime then appeared before me with a _very_ angry face. "What the in the world were you thinking?" The man hissed out as he approached me. "Who are you to go against the wishes of a high ranking diplomat like me?"

"I was only thinking of what was best for the village." I replied, but he then took an aggressive step towards me. To which I stumbled backwards, trying my best to appear distraught and caught off guard by his actions.

"What was best for the village?! The best thing that could have happened was if you died in that tower along with that Kazahana! With your death we could have leverage against the Yukikage and force them to do our bidding!" Kajime stated in anger. "But you had to go ahead and live! All you are is a waste of air that, for once in your miserable life, could have given something back to your father!" I frowned at his words and looked away.

"I was only doing what I thought was right…"

"Well don't think you little parasite. If you knew any better than you would just disappear." Kajime stated before walking towards the cabin. I stood there for a while before turning and leaning against the railing at the front of the ship. Sometimes I had to remind myself that not everyone in the village thought of me like that, but it was getting harder and harder with each passing day.

Beyond my field of view a shy Hyuga watched me as I simply stood there. She wanted to come out and talk to me, but something was holding her back. The anxiety of talking to the person she liked so much and possibly embarrassing herself in front of him was too much to handle. Whatever determination she had before was gone and unwilling to reappear for a while, but even still… 'No. I need to talk to him about this. I need to help him like he helped me.' But before she could move from her hiding spot another person appeared.

"Naruto?" I looked over my shoulder to see who had spoken my name. It was only Koyuki.

"Thought you'd be inside?" I questioned before looking forwards towards the open water.

"I was, but when I saw you out here I decided to join you." I remained quiet as she shuffled her feet beneath her. "I heard what he said. What that diplomat said to you."

"…"

"Is it true? Is that how most of Konoha sees you?"

"Not all of them, but some. Stay in Konoha long enough and I'm sure you'll hear people talking about me. Some positive, some negative, but you'll hear of me." I sighed and shook my head at the thought of what people have said of me.

"But why would they talk about you like that? You're the son of one of the most beloved Hokage ever!"

"And that's precisely why." Koyuki looked confused, but I shook my head. "My father is an amazing Hokage, and my sister is a jinchuuriki that holds back a demon from killing them all. The people of Konoha love them dearly, but when they see me they ask 'Why are you here? What do you bring to your family?' My only answer is… nothing. I'm just a normal kid living in a world of powerful shinobi." My frown deepened as I went to speak again. "To them I'm the scuff mark on their proud trophy family."

Hinata was on the verge of tears as she listened in on what I was saying. It was only recently that she learned of how a portion of the villagers talked about me. They never did anything physical to harm me, putting aside the bullying I received at school, but the psychological beatings I received were constant. At least it felt like it at times…

"I'm sorry… I never knew people thought of you like that." Koyuki said as she stood next to me, but then smiled as she thought of something. "But to me you're the hero that saved my life, and I'll never forget that." She then leaned over and kissed me on the lips before quickly entering the cabin. I watched her retreating form in shock at what had just occurred.

'Why…? I'm not a hero. I'm a monster that kills because someone pays me. Why would you put so much trust in me?' A sad expression washed over me as the cabin door closed.

'When I'm eventually going to betray that trust?'

 **XxXxX**

 **AN:** Next chapter everyone! This is longer than most, but that's because I couldn't find a good stopping point so I bundled it up into one large one. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it!


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